Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

Since its establishment, the National Economic and Social Forum gave considerable time and consideration to labour market issues.

I welcome this latest report by the NESF which provides a significant and timely contribution to consideration of labour market strategies. The report covers a breadth of issues and the implications extend way beyond the social welfare system to include local partnership-based strategies, labour market and social inclusion measures and structures, make work pay policies, the national employment services, workplace strategies and progression of low-skilled workers.

The Government recently noted the contents of the report and agreed that it would be considered by all relevant Departments and agencies, and also by the senior officials group on social inclusion, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, in the context of wider labour market issues.

The report recognises that the market place is the main force in determining the quantity and quality of work available. However, this report highlights the existence of labour market vulnerability for many seeking work and within the workforce and identifies a number of interacting factors which may create this vulnerability for individuals and groups of people, even in today's tight labour market.

The report notes that more than €1 billion of State funding is being spent annually on measures aimed at helping people into work and tackling problems associated with labour market vulnerability. This encompasses the work of a number of Departments, including the Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Education and Science, as well as my Department.

To improve upon how this spending meets its objective, the report recommends that a national strategic framework should be developed to provide better opportunities in this area. This would ensure coherence and integration in a co-ordinated response to improve access to employment, training and education and to finding better quality jobs on the labour market. A more integrated strategic framework would be useful.

The report makes a number of specific recommendations with regard to the future direction and administration of social welfare employment supports and the family income supplement scheme. My Department is considering these as part of the overall Government response to the report.

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