asked the Minister for Finance if, in view of the OECD recommendation that Ireland should now have a long range strategy for future development, the Government intend to produce such a programme.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Development Programme.
12.
I indicated in my budget statement of 3rd April last that the Government had decided that it would not be possible to publish a meaningful development programme for the years ahead in the light of the unsettled world situation. Developments since then have merely added to the uncertainties surrounding the future economic outlook. The question is, however, under continuing review.
Will the Minister not agree that it would be in the interests of the country that the Government should put forward certain economic aims and aspirations based on reasonable assumptions?
The difficulty today is to produce assumptions that could be proved to be reasonable. Any plan can be only as good as the assumptions made. As the Deputy is aware, economists are more at variance with one another today than they ever were about the assumptions that can be made for the future because of the multitude of uncertainties that exist across the entire economic scene.
Would the Minister not agree that the reality of economic assumptions is a hazard of political and economic life? Having regard to the stated policies of the two components of the Coalition in relation to putting forward a programme or plan, would the Minister not agree that it would not be unreasonable to expect such a plan or a programme from the Government even in the present economic circumstances?
A number of countries comparable to ours, including Denmark, decided recently not to publish economic programmes because of the uncertainties that exist. When many of the problems now facing the world become more recognisable as to their ultimate implications, then it would be appropriate to issue a plan. We have not come to a decision not to publish one. The exercise of revising expectations is continuing all the time and as soon as one can assume with reasonable certainty the pattern of likely performance in the world economic scene a plan will be published.
Will the Minister not agree that rather than let the economy drift in an aimless sea of uncertainties it is the obligation and duty of the Government to put forward some plan, some realisable economic goals towards which the country could work? Should there not be some indication to industrialists and others whose responsibility it is to maintain economic growth—a responsibility in association with the Government, I suggest?
The easiest thing to do would be to produce a plan but what is entirely different is the task of ensuring that the targets set out in the plan can be attained. That has become an extremely hazardous matter having regard to the present state of the world economy. The EEC Commission have had under consideration the preparation of a European plan and, for the same reasons as apply to governments, they cannot see that any useful purpose would be served by the preparation of a plan at the present time on the basis of assumptions that would be speculative in the extreme.
Does the Minister recall when former economic programmes were not realised blame was attributed to the Government who drew up the programmes and not to world economic circumstances?
In part the failure to attain the targets was attributable to Government mismanagement——
Only when Fianna Fáil were in power.
The Minister should stick to his brief and read out what is prepared for him.
Having regard to the world economic situation, do we take it from the Minister's reply that the Government have no plans for the future?
Perhaps the Deputy would read the White Paper.
What White Paper?
I am calling Question No. 13.