Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

The two pilot schemes in Kilkenny and Coolock have been filtering the information and looking at the wide range of issues involved, some we might not even have considered. It is surprising the issues that arise only when we interact with people. The Deputy identified child care as an issue. We are all aware that will be a major issue for many of these people in getting them into part-time work, or even in facilitating training and education before ultimately getting them into the workplace. When the pilot scheme is complete — I understand that will be this month — it will provide the basis of information with regard to what the customer, the people we are trying to assist, wants and to how we may use a cross-departmental and cross-agency approach to facilitate people to move on.

The primary purpose is to get these people, who form the most vulnerable group in terms of poverty, out of poverty. The best way to achieve that is to give people the means to get into employment. That is what it is about.

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