James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will underscore the actions that have been taken. Poverty is seven times more likely in households where people are jobless, and that is why the Government's focus has been on jobs and getting people back to work. There have been 135,000 new jobs created already, and another 50,000 are planned for this year. The Pathways to Work strategy is working and helping to ensure that a high proportion of jobs are taken up - we can show this - by unemployed people, including young people. Since the Government launched its plan in early 2012, we have added 135,000 jobs to the economy. There was a 33% increase in the child care budget, enabling every child in Ireland to avail of free preschool, including children with disabilities. Both I and the Deputies across the floor should be very pleased about that. There is additional funding to extend free GP care to all children aged 11 years and under; those under six already have cover. There is additional funding for speech and language therapy services for children with disabilities, and we have increased the number of resource teachers and special needs assistants in the Irish school system by 29% and 13%, respectively, since 2011, despite the terrible recession we had to endure. There is also improved funding for mental health services for children and young people, as well as a range of additional capital and revenue funding in respect of housing and an effort to specifically address homelessness among families.

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