Mr. Tim Griffiths:

On retired people in our communities, there is huge opportunity and great social entrepreneurs have come up with great ideas. There was a lady - not supported by us but in the same space - called Mary Nally, who had an organisation called Fáilte Isteach. It came about when a retired member of the community was in the local supermarket and saw a woman taking a can of beans off the top shelf and giving it to her child. The mother could not speak English. The child was going to school and was translating what the product was and putting it or not putting it in the basket. Mary's idea was to get the older people in the community with time on their hands to teach English to the non-nationals who had come into the community. It made for a more integrated community.

There are plenty of examples I could give around multiculturalism. The challenge is scalability. I could put three or four strong ideas to the committee but these people are hampered by lack of money in setting these up. Some of that comes back to the legal structure because they are eligible for some grants and not others. There is also co-ordinating and getting people together.

I agree with the Deputy's point on taking a sector-based approach to this. I think one in five of us was not born in Ireland. How do we integrate these people? I could put five or six organisations in front of the committee that are doing great work but it needs a co-ordinated approach and investment.