Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)

It might have been the Taoiseach, not the Minister, who announced it. From where exactly will the rest of this money come? Is the €2 billion figure to be reviewed or what is the target of spend under the RAPID programme? If it is not €2 billion, is it €1 billion or €800 million? What exactly is the figure and what does the Minister hope to achieve from it?

The RAPID programme was supposed to tackle social disadvantage etc. Unfortunately social disadvantage has worsened in the recent past. In that case, how can the Minister say the RAPID programme is working?

Some 60% of students leave school before completing the leaving certificate examination in many disadvantaged areas. That is evidence. The proof has been recorded. More than 1,000 children do not make it into secondary school from primary school and nobody can account for where they are or why they have left. More than 120,000 children still live in consistent poverty. Some 50,000 households are on local authority housing waiting lists. The UN report states that more than 600,000 or 15% of people in Ireland live below the poverty line or are at risk of poverty. With all this evidence, are we making progress? How does the Minister propose to prove in future that we are making progress, which is my biggest concern, and that we are getting value for money?

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