Dr. Helen Johnston:

Deputy Ó Snodaigh made the point that we had the issue even during the boom before the crash, and I agree. We had not fully resolved the situation. For people who were unemployed, in general there were jobs available and pathways into work. However, for people with issues such as child care or disability the necessary supports for them to move back into employment were inadequate in some areas. A case worker approach was taken to try to move those people on when the crash came. Although Intreo is trying to move to this model, the volume of people requiring such supports has meant it has been very difficult to move the people furthest from the labour market back into it. The fact that the people with very long-term issues are there with people who have lost their jobs more recently is adding to the complexity, as all the issues must be addressed.

On the transitional arrangements, a number of actions could be taken. One that has been found to work is the retention of some social welfare payments for a period of time while people move from welfare into work. As a number of speakers mentioned, there is a risk in moving from the security of a social welfare payment that may come with a medical card and a housing supplement. If one loses those payments as one moves into work, perhaps in a temporary, low-paid job, people may be unwilling to take the risk, for the good of their families. Supports can be kept in place for a period of time, during which a person may be able to get better, more full-time work, and transition into a more permanent position. This has happened before. People have retained part of their payments or their medical cards for a certain period of time.

I have been doing some more detailed work in Blanchardstown and in a rural area of north County Meath, talking to people who provide educational supports. There are many issues around basic literacy and English language for people who are not Irish nationals. Often, the educational supports are at a level with which they may be unable to cope. They may need very basic levels of training at level one to progress to level two or level three. Often, people are put into level three and are unable to cope. In some households, particularly where young people may have had very little structure to their day, the expectation that they will turn up every morning at 9 a.m. may need to be addressed. A comment was made about the need to consider personal value. Perhaps I did not spell out the issue of personal value and confidence, which needs to be addressed in some areas. It is not a simple solution but is a combination of personal development and capacity building along with a range of different educational supports starting from a very basic level before progressing to more advanced levels, and the retention of some payments as people make the transition.

Deputy O'Donnell's point-----