The McCarthy proposals will break the 18-year social contract with disadvantaged communities. The Government has not, as yet, endorsed the proposals in the McCarthy Report (Bord Snip Nua) for radical cuts across all areas of social spending.

Given the composition and "secretariat" of the group that produced the McCarthy Report, it can be seen as the wish list of the Department of Finance.  But, as The Irish Times commented, the report "presents a menu of financial options to Government without any reference to the social policy of the state" (Editorial, 17th July). And that is the core issue.

The Community Sector Employers Forum (CSEF) has called on community organisations to support the campaign against cuts in services and jobs across the sector. The campaign was launched by SIPTU at a rally attended by 2,000 workers at Liberty Hall on 3rd June. The campaign is set to heat up in the autumn and is also supported by IMPACT.

As the recession bites ever deeper, there is a serious danger that initiatives to bring learning to the low-skilled will be sacrificed in the rush to meet new emergencies.  Already, the specialist DEP programme Learning at Work and its role in the FÁS Skills for Work programme have been cut back radically.

In a Europe-wide evaluation of over 300 projects funded under European Social Fund programmes over the last five years, the DEP Equal at Work project was one of just six selected from a shortlist of sixteen and awarded as a 'model of best practice' at an event in Prague on 4th June.

An initiative under the FÁS Skills for Work programme implemented by DEP resulted in 357 workers achieving FETAC accredited training. Most of the participants had education qualifications below junior certificate level. The programme was delivered in the eight months to May 2009.

There is an urgent need for Government to identify and support sectors that have the potential for job creation and growth. This is a according to a specialist Employment Working Group, co-ordinated by The European Anti-Poverty Network Ireland (EAPN).

The world-wide-web impacts all aspects of our lives.  On a personal level the ability to access the internet for online purchases, researching a holiday or sending photos to loved ones far away, is a staple of modern life.