Sustaining Progress - Department of Taoiseach

In choosing these Initiatives, the partners were guided by the following criteria:
■ are capable of making a major contribution to our quality of life;
■ are amenable to being designed in a way which is both multidimensional and manageable;
■ provide a focus for shared working in respect of the activities of organisations in a range of sectors
by virtue of their nature and the groups on which they impact;
■ allow issues of resource allocation and prioritisation to be addressed in a “whole of government”
way;
■ potentially encompass short, medium and longer-term perspectives;
■ social partners should be able to make a unique value-added contribution to progressing
these issues.
2.2 Special Initiatives to be Undertaken During the Period of the Agreement
The following Initiatives have been identified for this Agreement:
■ Housing and Accommodation
■ Cost and Availability of Insurance
■ Migration and Interculturalism
■ Long- term Unemployed, Vulnerable Workers and those who have been made Redundant
■ Tackling Educational Disadvantage - Literacy, Numeracy and Early School Leaving
■ Waste Management
■ Care – Children, People with Disabilities and Older People
■ Alcohol/Drug Misuse
■ Including Everyone in the Information Society
■ Ending Child Poverty.
Set out overleaf are central elements to be taken into account in determining the shape of the
proposed Initiatives. In each case, the Steering Group will put in place appropriate arrangements
involving all of the Pillars to develop the Initiatives further.
2.3 Housing and Accommodation
Rapid economic growth, a rising population and convergence of the average Irish household size
towards the European norm are resulting in a significant demand for additional housing which is
putting pressure on many facets of the economy and society. The following elements are key to an
overall approach to achieving equilibrium between supply and demand in the overall housing market.
Chapter 2 Special Initiatives
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