Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses. It is nice to see an all-woman panel; we very rarely get that joy here in the committee rooms. They are all very welcome. I thank them for the work they are doing and the information they have provided.

When we talk about the rising tide, it does not necessarily lift all boats, although it may have lifted most. Even where people are employed, there are issues around underemployment, which is something I am concerned about.

I will ask a couple of general questions. Ms O'Brien referred to a local initiative that worked. Will she outline what is working at the moment? I can see this with the small local initiatives in my own area. How would Ms O'Brien connect what is happening locally in order to roll it out nationally to hit those target groups? In referring to unemployment blackspots, it is less about place than it was when I was growing up. It is more about who you are rather than where you are living. Ms O'Brien might talk about what is there at the moment, what is working and how we could roll that out, improve it and get more out of it.