Social Inclusion:Social inclusion measures totalling €50 billion aimed primarily at older people, immigrants, people with disabilities and children living in poverty form part of the Government's 10-year National Development Plan.
However, significant elements of the plans were previously announced as part of Government launches in recent years such as the partnership agreement Towards 2016, Budget 2006 and the National Disability Strategy.
The social inclusion measures announced yesterday include:
A 40 per cent increase in the provision of social and affordable homes resulting in 140,000 new households at a cost of €18 billion.
Assisting up to 12,000 older people each year to live at home with the assistance of homecare packages (€4.7 billion). These would include access to nursing services, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. A similar sum of money (€5 billion) is set aside for improvements in nursing home care for older people
Implementing its existing pledge to roll out services for disabled people, contained in the National Disability Strategy which was announced two years ago (€19 billion)
Immigration initiatives such as language support for children and anti-racism programmes (€848 million)
Providing the 50,0000 childcare places announced in Budget 2006, as well as resourcing education programmes for children from disadvantaged communities, special needs supports and Traveller education (€12.3 billion)
Improving access to education for early school-leavers, mature students, and expanding third-level access programmes (€4.2 billion)
Tackling unemployment through back-to-work and back-to-education initiatives (€1.2 billion)
Funding local development plans such as Rapid programmes and the National Drugs Strategy (€1.9 billion)
At a press conference following the publication of the 10-year spending blueprint, Minister for Social Affairs Séamus Brennan said it was the first time a national development plan contained a social inclusion element.
"We have all learned that it is just as important to invest in human capital as it is to invest in roads and railways, if not more important," he said.
The plan would help "transform the lives of thousands of people" by opening up new opportunities in employment, training and education.
"This plan, coupled with our forthcoming National Action Plan for Social Inclusion and the recent partnership agreement, Towards 2016, represents the most wide-ranging, comprehensive and targeted strategic programme of action even undertaken to confront and tackle remaining poverty and social exclusion," Mr Brennan said.
Reflecting the dramatic increase in immigration since the last plan, inward migration plays a major role with €858 million directed at providing language support for children, integration initiatives and anti-racism programmes. This investment would provide for the provision of 550 teachers for language support.
On the 50,000 promised childcare places, the Government said it would set subsequent targets for additional places after the 2010 mid-term review of the plan.
There is also a focus on providing greater access to education among disadvantage students. These plans include targeted pre-school places for children in marginalised communities, halving illiteracy levels and increasing the proportion of people completing secondary school to 90 per cent by 2013.
