Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

The Department has close links with the VECs, which are dealing with the situation on the ground. We have a number of new policies in place that are set out in various policy documents, including the Towards 2016 social partnership agreement and the national programme for social inclusion. The new targets have been agreed by the social partners and we are striving to implement them to improve the situation. I believe the situation has improved dramatically since the first survey was published in 1997.

See this speech in context