Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

As the Deputy will be aware, the Taoiseach recently announced the restructuring of a number of Departments and agencies in order to group functions whose combination is more appropriate to the country's current priorities, to ensure greater coherence and produce more efficient delivery and to underline the priority issues for this Government in a way that mobilises a broad response. The Deputy will agree that while addressing the priority issues in responding to unemployment and driving economic recovery is necessary, it is also important that we do not lose sight of the importance of social development, the targeting of the most vulnerable and the support of those working to make a difference right across our communities. It is against this background that the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs will be restructured as the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs and will incorporate responsibility for social inclusion policy and family policy from the Department of Social and Family Affairs, and for equality, disability, integration and human rights from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

My priority over the coming period will be to progress the actions and commitments reflected in the Programme for Government and the revised Programme for Government that relate to my functions and areas of responsibility. In this regard, work will commence shortly on the preparation of a new statement of strategy for my Department. In developing the new statement of strategy, my Department will take stock of the progress made to date on meeting Government programme commitments and decide how best to focus its efforts over the coming period so as to achieve real results on the ground and deliver on our mandate.

Over its lifetime, the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs made significant progress in enhancing the cohesiveness and efficiency of delivery of various programmes that were transferred to it from other Departments. A similar challenge will face the new Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, but I am confident that the experience garnered in that context over recent years will prove invaluable in further enhancing the delivery of the Department's new social development and social inclusion programmes to the benefit of all our customers and stakeholders.

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