The Taoiseach: I am delighted to have the opportunity to address the Seanad for the first time as Taoiseach. The Seanad plays a critical role in our nation’s politics, scrutinising legislation and enhancing debate on the issues we face. I was proud to argue for the retention and reform of this House in 2013, and was very pleased that the Irish people shared our view of the importance of a second Chamber in our democracy. I am, above all else, a passionate believer in parliamentary democracy and the rich heritage we have inherited down through the decades and centuries in terms of the concept of parliamentary democracy. Indeed, as a Minister in previous Governments, I always found the non-adversarial tone and tenor of this House more conducive to the acceptance of amendments and ideas in respect of legislation and often allowed for a better type of debate than is held in the Lower House, which tends to be more partisan in the exchanges, for obvious reasons to some extent. There was a different atmosphere in this House, which facilitated reflection on legislation and the taking on of ideas. That has been my experience and it is one of the reasons I supported the retention of the House....

...Senator Marie Sherlock: Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. Ar son Pháirtí an Lucht Oibre sa Seanad ba mhaith linn fáilte a chur roimhe inniu. As a proud Cork woman, who has been based in Dublin for 20 years, I have to admit to a certain pride in having a Cork Taoiseach although I should not probably admit to it. I thank the Taoiseach for taking the time to come to the House. We are all extremely conscious of the huge remit and the demands on his time. He occupies a very important place in government. What is critical is that when something is a priority for him it is a priority for the Government. In this context, I want to reflect on his comments and his speech this morning to the Fergus McCabe memorial lecture organised by CityWide. I listened very carefully to the contribution and I very much welcome the Taoiseach's commitment to the health-led approach and his emphasis on, and commitment to, increased supports and the promise of a citizens' assembly on drug use in this country.

I also heard him speak about the importance of community and partnership. It is vital that the Taoiseach understands there is a large difference between repeated references to community being a cornerstone of drugs and alcohol policy in this country contrasted with the reality on the ground that I see in communities in the north inner city, with increased centralisation, control of policy making and decisions, and a marginalisation of dissenting opinion, particularly by some officials in the drugs policy unit in the Department of Health. It gives me no pleasure to say this but it is important to put it on the record. Just this week we had the mid-term review of the national drugs strategy published. As far as I understand it, there was no community consultation involved in the review.

The Government faces a choice to work with communities, people on the ground and those who understand issues or have centralised policy. In this context, I want to raise with the Taoiseach the mission by the Department of Social Protection to tender out local employment services.

Of course, changes are needed in some local employment services, but how the Government is pursuing this raises very serious questions about an understanding of how communities work and how local employment services work on the ground.

I will give one example. The Eastside and Docklands Local Employment Service is based in Dublin 1. Some time ago it spotted a significant demand for construction skills and started a construction skills programme. Every week it takes in 20 men, many of whom have never had a job. Some have been in prison and some have addiction issues. They are not vetted. After three weeks of training on a Friday they graduate and by the following Monday morning many of them start on a construction site. Let us think about that. Some of these people have never worked a day in their life and by the following Monday morning they are starting work at somewhere between €14 and €18 an hour with that income increasing as the weeks go on. That is transformative in their lives.

What makes this project work is that it is a not-for-profit, community-based local employment service. Dublin Port has given it a site free of charge to operate its programme. As it is community based, it is able to get funding for a variety of activities. If it were privately run, none of those supports would be in place and we would not have that crucial programme functioning as it is today. We need to look at the damage that will be done by the Department of Social Protection's crusade on dismantling local employment services.

My message today is on the importance of including communities, not only those who may have lost their way in life through addiction, harm or trauma. It is also about ensuring that any child born into disadvantage is given every opportunity to progress and to realise his or her potential. Right now, people running childcare services in Dublin's north inner city and across disadvantaged communities in the country are telling me they will not survive into next year once the Covid supports are taken away. The changes introduced by the national childcare scheme have seen a dramatic drop in financial support. That needs to change if we are to break the cycle of disadvantage in those communities.