Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I agree that we need targets and I support the Europe 2020 strategy, in so far as it is endeavouring to fix targets along the five core areas. This strategy is better shaped and formulated because it has shortened the number of targets and areas. It has a much sharper focus that the previous Lisbon strategy. We welcome the education targets and the idea of targets for social inclusion. There are issues across member states as to the definition of "poverty", from consistent poverty to relative poverty and so forth. We have had these debates domestically.

I take the Deputy's point; it is complex and poverty is not just the absence of a job, although employment is one of the key weapons against poverty, about that there is no question. It was a factor in the last decade, in terms of Ireland reducing its rate of consistent poverty. Education and opportunity is very much linked to poverty. We support a target which sees the rate of early school leavers falling to under 10% by 2020 and at least 40% of the younger generation having a tertiary degree. Our national target is already in place under the national skills strategy. We are well placed to meet European Union headline targets in education.

In regard to the share of early school leavers, Ireland currently stands at 11.3% which represents a strong performance relative to the European Union average of 14.9%. We will go below that in order to reach the European Union target of not less than 10%.

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