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Investment in Quality3.6.2 Influences and Pressures on the Quality of Life, IncludingLife at WorkDespite the economic and social advance of recent years, there are anumber of influences and pressures on the quality of family andwork life. These include: earned and other income sources;childcare, care of older people and people with disabilities;transport access, commuting time, quality and costs; housing accessand costs; enterprise-level partnership; health services access andcosts; the quality and price of services; the benefits and difficultiesof immigration; environmental problems; and time constraints thatmake it difficult to balance work, family and community life.These pressures, which affect different people in different ways,must be addressed if people are to feel that the economicbreakthrough is worthwhile, and are to be willing to make thechanges necessary to secure the foundations of long-term prosperityand a more equal and socially inclusive society.3.6.3 Influences and Pressures on the Fairness of Opportunitiesand OutcomesIn addition to these pressures on competitiveness and the quality oflife, there is a widespread sense that opportunities and outcomes arestill not fairly available to all. Some of the influences and pressureson the fairness of opportunities and outcomes are as follows: earnedand other income sources; health service inequalities; housingaccess, costs and location; education and learning inequalities;quality of work life; transport access, commuting time, quality andcosts; the availability and price of services; childcare, care of olderpeople and people with disabilities; the availability of recreationaland cultural amenities; and the benefits and difficulties ofimmigration.The Council’s Strategy report reflects its belief that unfairopportunities and outcomes are damaging to social cohesion,competitiveness and the quality of life. The fairness of opportunitiesand outcomes should be one of the primary goals of public policy,the social partners and Irish society, and not a secondary objective.154