The social inclusion unit was established in December 1998. The objective of the unit is to co-ordinate my Department's policies and programmes aimed at tackling educational disadvantage and social exclusion. The current staffing levels are: one principal officer, one assistant principal officer, one shared assistant principal officer who has other duties in the area of youth affairs, one higher executive officer, one part-time executive officer and one clerical officer.
The wide-ranging work programme includes representing the Department on the following: interdepartmental policy committee on the national anti-poverty strategy jointly led by the Departments of the Taoiseach and Social, Community and Family Affairs; national steering committee for the integrated services process, soon to be completed, which fulfilled the co-ordination role for the process on behalf of the Department in addition to providing a staff member for the Dublin 8 implementation team; interdepartmental policy group on the national drugs strategy to which the national drugs strategy team reports.