I share Deputy O'Reilly's concerns. Looking at the child poverty monitor, we see the failure of the 2020 roadmap for social inclusion, which included a target of reducing consistent poverty among adults and children from 5% to 2%. Five years later, we are still at 5%. The roadmap has been an abject failure. One of my concerns when it comes to child poverty and poverty within families is their lack of resilience to deal with emergencies and other issues that arise for them. I have in mind the inability, because of the assessment of need crisis, to access the special education supports that are needed. There is also the issue of people who, were there no housing crisis, would be paying differential rents on council houses. They are now paying differential rents for housing assistance payment, HAP, properties plus cash top-ups to the landlords. The resilience to deal with such situations is gone from families and households. I want to see an all-of-Government approach, involving the Departments of housing, health and children, as well as the Minister's Department, to get to grips with this issue.

Sentiment score: -0.27

On behalf of my colleague Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh, I ask the Minister for Social Protection the current strategy for community employment, the number of sponsor groups, participants and supervisors, and whether any changes to the scheme are planned this year. Will he make a statement on the matter? This relates to community employment in the round, including CE schemes, Tús, RSS and others.

Sentiment score: 0.03

I welcome that and gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as an bhfreagra cuimsitheach sin. Is cinnte go bhfuil an-éileamh ar an scéim seo i measc na ngrúpaí pobail. Níl sé díreach mar gheall ar dhaoine a chur ar ais ag obair nó traenáil chuí a thabhairt dóibh. Tá sé chun tacú leis na pobail ina bhfuil siad ag maireachtáil agus ina gcónaí. Regarding the CE and Tús schemes, part of the issue is that there does not seem to be a great deal of joined-up thinking between the two. There is no easy avenue to go from one to the other. While somebody who is on a Tús scheme for 12 months can join a CE scheme, the reverse is not true. There are disparities between the training available to people on a Tús scheme and that available to people on a CE scheme. That needs to be brought into line. There needs to be a broader approach to training for those on Tús schemes. We must also be clear that Tús schemes are not always suitable for community groups because the right supports are not available for participants and community groups when people with particular needs or difficulties are being taken on. It may be a little difficult for a community group to take that on.

Sentiment score: 0.06

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as sin. I welcome his commitment to keep these under review and to look at them in the round because there is a lot of crossover. With regard to the RSS, I would like to know the Minister's opinions on reform of that and the pilot scheme and moving it to the rural dwellers scheme or bringing more of that in. At present, as the Minister knows, you need either a fishing licence or a herd number to qualify for that scheme. It would be suitable to many more people living in rural Ireland who could avail of it and for whom a placement through that scheme would be very valuable and very important to them and could lead to really positive change in their lives. I would like to hear a little more about that from the Minister, if he does not mind.

Sentiment score: 0.29