Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy will appreciate that in most instances where money has been spent to try to improve systems, it is because they are not effective and need to be enhanced. PPARS and other projects were aimed at integrating systems to make them more efficient and so we have more timely information and can provide a better service to the public. That is the reasoning behind them. Regarding the project the Deputy mentioned I attended the other day and the issues raised by Barnardos and other agencies, the Government continues to provide enormous resources across a range of areas, including disadvantage in education, the DATE project and projects on social and community affairs to assist those in need. All the recent UN surveys indicate there has been a dramatic improvement in this regard.

However, there are still those who are disadvantaged and excluded and the Government will continue, across health and education, to provide for them. The Deputy is aware the Government has made changes to the medical card system with some 140,000 new cards issued in the last year. Moreover, the Tánaiste has made changes to take net pay into consideration, a measure that helps many families with children. The Government will continue to support the provision of quality housing and other programmes to help those who are disadvantaged.

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