There is an urgent need for the Government to take on a greater role in the provision of affordable homes, according to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

GREATER efforts should be made to help the vulnerable and unemployed, according to a member of the troika, who appealed for hard evidence of the effects of the austerity programme on people.

The Irish Council of Trade Unions executive committee is meeting in Dublin today to discuss its failure to reach agreement with employers on a deal to replace the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness.