Ms Lorraine Mulligan:

Our contribution focused on the issue of "activation into what?" It is set against the background of needing to ensure there is quality employment and attractive work available to people so they feel it is an option. It is a very important other side of the activation debate. We also examined JobBridge. What came out here today was very interesting in the sense that it seems, from the employer survey, that they are equally conscious of the issue of employability and want to ensure people are willing to train people to have those basic skills. People are on the same page regarding the need for those basic skills. Our view is that employers need to step up to the mark in that respect, whereas the emphasis to date has been on a national scheme.

Borne out by the comments on the difficulties for those over 40 years in terms of work and employment, the cultural change is often at employment level where employers want to bring in new people and overlook the skills of those in their workforce. There must be a willingness on the part of the employers to engage with their staff.

There is much discussion on the complex intergenerational and geographical issues. One important initiative at European level is the introduction of a child guarantee, which covers the issues raised by Dr. Kara McGann. We should look at how this could be promoted, developed and rolled out in Ireland.

We are all glad that unemployment numbers are falling and the numbers in employment are rising. All the social partners and the NGO sector must work together to find the best way to progress. We would welcome further engagement on that.