FG’s Lisbon Campaign, Empty Council flats, An Bord Snip Report
Lucinda’s Dáil Diary
On Friday Enda Kenny appointed Deputy Billy Timmins as FG Director of Elections for the Lisbon referendum. He also appointed me as Deputy Director of Elections, with particular responsibility for the campaign in Dublin. I am really looking forward to this campaign because I believe it will be more focused and more energetic than the last campaign. Billy is someone who thinks outside the box and we have already had several meetings teasing out ideas and making plans for the campaign. We met with the front bench yesterday, where we had a long discussion about the last campaign and the lessons that need to be learned. We will make a presentation to the front bench in ten days time with our finalised campaign plan. Then all we will have to worry about will be its implementation!
I spent last Saturday in some of the inner city flats in my constituency, dealing with queries and issues arising for the residents. I have to be honest and say that Fine Gael has not been seen to be a party that is particularly interested in or concerned by the issues of people living in deprived parts of Dublin in recent times. I really am disappointed with the way the party has become so synonymous with the wealthy middle classes, especially over the past few decades. All that is changing now, and I am pleased with the changed attitude to Fine Gael in working class areas. I think this is epitomised by the recent election of Cllr. Ray McAdam in the North Inner City Ward and Cllr. Catherine Noone in the South East Inner City ward. These are areas where Fine Gael has not been represented in over 16 years.
What is striking is the way in which the economic boom in Ireland so dramatically by-passed so many people. In one flat complex which I visited, I came across three families of seven people, living in two bedroom flats. This is just unbelievable, where people are not afforded the basic human dignity of achieving their fundamental housing needs. What is most frustrating is that while so many young people are on the housing list, so many of the Council units are empty. It is not unusual for flats to lie vacant for 12 or 18 months, with no work carried out, while families of up to three generations are forced to live like sardines. This is a matter that I have raised before with Dublin City Council and I will continue to pursue, notwithstanding the economic climate. We cannot continue to ignore the extreme social problems which emanate from areas which are utterly ignored by the rest of our society. If the Authorities want a cost-benefit analysis of helping deprived people, they only have to look at the cost of running our criminal justice system. If we have the foresight to invest in these areas, we will make unquantifiable savings in the future.
I received my copy of the An Bord Snip report this afternoon and am currently reading through the detail. As an initial response, I must say that I am broadly in agreement with many of the recommendations contained in the report. It is pertinent to say that our burgeoning public service ought never have been allowed grow so wildly out of control, however we must face the fact that we have what we have and we must act urgently to address it. The savings proposed are wide-ranging and thorough, and allow no element of the public sector go without detailed scrutiny.
I very much support some of the major proposals such as the rationalisation of staff in the health services. In addition I support smaller measures such as the ending of the tradition of judges tip staff. Many of the proposals to amalgamate QUANGOs and other state bodies are essential and reflect the proposals put forward by Fine Gael well over a year ago. Another major saving proposed is via the suggestion of abandoning the system which allows for double claiming in the social welfare system. Nobody in receipt of Fas training funds should be claiming social welfare, thus receiving a double payment. I welcome this crucial proposal. One major concern is the wielding of the axe on primary level education. It is proposed to slash teacher numbers by 3,400. I think this will have a devastating effect on our young people, especially those with learning difficulties. This is also not in our long term economic interest.
The bottom line with An Bord Snip, is that we cannot continue to prop up a system which facilitates expenditure of €21 billion (and climbing) on our public service every year, as well as a social welfare bill of a further €20 billion. We have an Exchequer deficit of €20 billion, which must be tackled as a matter of urgency, or else our country will be bankrupted. The Government must show courage and implement many of the cuts proposed by this report, while showing nerve in reforming the public sector and using our taxation system to restore competitiveness and stimulate business in Ireland once again. Otherwise the people of this country will face a very bleak future indeed.
