A new British government taskforce has been set up to in Northern Ireland to address social disadvantage in loyalist communities.
The North's Political Development Minister, David Hanson, announced that the head of the Northern Ireland civil service, Nigel Hamilton, would lead the new team tasked with organising efforts to address the needs of problem areas.
During a visit to the Greater Shankill Community Council and the Shankill Community Convention, he said it was important that efforts to address disadvantaged loyalist communities were better co-ordinated.
In the wake of the recent loyalist street violence and amid repeated claims that disadvantaged loyalists were the forgotten people of Northern Ireland, Secretary of State Peter Hain appointed Mr Hanson to drive improvements forward.
The Department of Social Development, through the Belfast Regeneration Office, is already investing heavily in the areas, with £180,000 being provided to the Greater Shankill Community Council to upgrade and extend its premises.
Mr Hanson said an early priority would be to implement the findings of a taskforce set up last year to address concerns that government policy was not impacting on Protestant working-class areas.
The visit to the Shankill was one of a series of engagements the minister said he was undertaking to hear the views of those working in local communities suffering disadvantage.
"I want to experience the reality of life in areas such as the Shankill where there are deep-seated problems," he added.
PA