Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. The case the group is making is that there is a particular need within the lower Inchicore area, where there is quite considerable deprivation. It is suggesting that the Minister target specific initiatives which would assist the community in the area. The level of child poverty in Our Lady of Lourdes national school is 22%. The rate in Dublin generally is 6.6%. We are talking about a community where the child poverty rate is 16 percentage points above the Dublin average. The unemployment rate is 38% in that area while the national average is 7.1%, so we are talking about a community in which the unemployment rate is 31 percentage points higher than the national average. The level of male unemployment is 30.4% in the Myra Close and Turvey Avenue area, 22 percentage points above the national average. The report makes points about child poverty in the area of St. Michael's Estate specifically, an area which is suffering severe deprivation. Surely there are initiatives which could be looked at. The group wants to sit down and talk to the Minister about such initiatives. It understands that money has come through. The Minister has made many points about the increases she has managed to get in other areas.

This area also has the highest density of DEIS schools. The need for DEIS schools and the need to provide more supports for children is recognised in the community. If this generational poverty continues, it will cause more hardship, more drug problems and more chaos in the community, and there is a lot of chaos in the community already. We can do an awful lot more to redirect resources to this area. The group is talking about money, but not just money. It is also looking at other areas which could support the community. It would be very good if the Minister could link in with the group at some stage.

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