Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I gave the figures at the outset. Deputy Rabbitte has asked me if I agree we must continue these policies of assisting areas that are marginalised and disadvantaged. Of course I do.

The point I must make is that we have had significant success because of the formation of the budgets we have introduced in the last number of years, where the less well-off people have got huge increases under the Department of Social and Family Affairs. These include child benefit, tackling disadvantage, increases in social welfare or income support. Over 80% of child income support is accounted for in child benefit. A decade ago it was less than 30%. This is enormously helpful.

We have made significant changes to family income supplement in the past number of years, all the time focusing on working families on low incomes or those who have no employment. That has had a significant effect. The amount of claims we now have for family income supplement shows we are targeting the correct people and families.

We have relaxed the means test for various payments, giving disregards in people's income so they can receive benefits. For those working, people on the national minimum wage are not taxed. We have brought in the back to school allowances, and the Minister, Deputy Brennan, has made significant increases in that and the footwear allowances.

School meals were very limited even five years ago. We are now spending over €10 million on that programme, and I do not think the figure was €1 million five years ago. They are very important for people who would not get meals, and we see this in school attendance reports. People in disadvantaged areas now come to school early in the morning because it is the only way they will get a meal. Clearly there is a problem, and that is the reason we put resources in place to deal with that. We have put in place significant assistance for one-parent families. The biggest act we have carried out is to try to give dignity to people who are less well-off and give them work.

With regard to the RAPID programme, we are allocating literally hundreds of millions of euro to the refurbishment and rebuilding of social housing and facilities. We are spending €2 billion on social housing, and a large proportion of the money from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is going into pulling down old flat blocks and renewing other flat blocks. The programme set out ten years ago that would have gone on for the next 40 years is now effectively done. Areas like Ballymun and Cherry Orchard have been rebuilt.

I agree with Deputy Rabbitte that we must keep doing this. I would like to hear people recognising in this House that it takes the UN body, the EU body and the OECD to acknowledge what we have done here in five years would not have happened in 50 years if it was not for this Government.

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