Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)

Will the Minister agree that a major problem exists and is concentrated in a number of areas, where there is inter-generational poverty? The parents of the children of the poor were themselves poor and all the indications are that their children will be poor because no effective initiatives are being taken. I am not saying it is widespread, but there are areas around the country in which this phenomenon is concentrated. The Minister indicated that there is no intention to introduce a new scheme. I would point out that the promised €2 billion that was to be fast-tracked into the RAPID did not happen, to put it mildly, and that essentially this year's Estimates for his Department indicate a 1% increase in terms of the RAPID funding. As he pointed out, he has the central role as regards RAPID.

The Labour Party recently published a policy document, entitled A Fair Deal: Fighting Poverty and Exclusion. Basically, there is a commitment in it that the Labour Party in Government would commit no less than 5% of the next national development plan to this fair deal in terms of addressing poverty and exclusion. However, the Minister is saying he has no intention of doing anything extra as regards these areas where there is multifaceted poverty, whether through low incomes, poor educational attainment, poor housing or employment prospects, a high level of anti-social behaviour, drug abuse or the like. Has he no intention of taking any initiative — that is what I heard him say — to introduce a new programmes to deal with these problems in an effective way so that the children in these areas are not sentenced to replicating the manner in which their parents have lived their lives?

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