Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12the challenge I R E L A N D T O D A Y • Over 1,000 families are homeless in the Republic of Ireland today. • More than 3,000 have been waiting for over a year for autism assessment in the Republic of Ireland; 2,000 children in Northern Ireland have been waiting up to 20 months for assessment. • In 2015, there were 451 deaths by suicide recorded in the Republic of Ireland. This is more than two and a half times the number of people killed in automobile accidents (166) over the same period. • Unemployment in Northern Ireland has fallen to 5.9%, its lowest since November 2008. • Unemployment in the Republic of Ireland at 7.8% is almost half its crisis level high. • Ireland’s exports increased by 34.4% in 2015. • In March 2016, a £500m investment in integrated education in Northern Ireland was announced. the opportunity 3