Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not have precise answers in respect of the timeframe but I assure the Deputy that the Taoiseach is taking this very seriously. Within the education portfolio, I am looking at areas where we could support initiatives within the north inner city and also, as the Deputy says, in the context of a wider model to examine areas of concentrated disadvantage to see how we can break that cycle. The concept of working across Departments has come into vogue in the past couple of years. Examples include the Action Plan for Jobs and the action plan for housing. The Deputy is right in that we need to form an approach to dealing with concentrated urban deprivation in particular in a way that is more consistent and breaks away from silos because an individual family deals with all the problems. It does not silo its problems between health, education, the community, the risk of slipping into lives of crime and all the other aspects. The Taoiseach is continuing to work with this and I am sure he will communicate with the Deputy.

The question of whether such an approach can become something we would roll out and create a pledge around is a challenge for this Dáil. One of the things we need to do is have a long-term vision. We are approaching a long-term vision for health and looking to the Oireachtas to have a degree of consensus about that. We want to do the same in terms of long-term funding for the higher education system where there will also be a challenge coming down the track. Climate change is a third issue. There is a large number of major challenges facing this Oireachtas and I agree with the Deputy that this certainly ranks among them. We need to find a more consistent way of ensuring that the resources of the State are deployed in a way that delivers better outcomes in these communities rather than each sitting within its own silo.

Today, we have seen the publication of a report on the health prospects of people suffering from cancer in different parts of our community. The report again raises questions for the Oireachtas as to how it can improve delivery in these areas. While it would be premature for me to say I will sign on the dotted line for a policy approach we have yet to see fully developed, I am fully behind the spirit of what the Deputy is saying. In respect of my responsibilities in education, I would like to see that sort of cross-community approach because a school cannot be just an oasis on its own. Its strength depends on the resources it can bring in from the rest of the community in order to deliver improvements. I look forward to the work of the task force and I will ask the Taoiseach to communicate to the Deputy on the framework and how the Oireachtas will be fully involved.

See this speech in context