Professor Philip Lane:

This is an area in which there are many dimensions. The ESRI, the Government's own economists and various academics, especially in institutions like UCD, have worked a lot on this. Ireland is unusual in having many adults who, in other countries, given their characteristics, might be expected to be working or not. I can give a list of issues to think about but the precise programmes would require careful analysis. There are people in the ESRI and elsewhere who could give the members more guidance on that. Do we have a childcare system that allows parents with young children to enter the workforce? Are we doing enough for people who do not have the correct skills? Although it is less of an issue now than it used to be, there are people who do not have enough educational skills. There may be people who have had particular health issues such as people with disability-----