I welcome this opportunity to speak on the plan which was published last week. It was long awaited due to its complex nature. It may be overdue because of a combination of factors, but finally it has arrived. I hope it will form the basis for stable government and improvements on many fronts over the next three years. I hope it will be the basis for stability and progress in the nineties and into the next century.
It will not be easy to implement all or any of the details in the plan but, with a common approach, a common outlook and all of us putting our hand to the wheel, much can be achieved. The plan is centred on the creation of jobs and a reduction in unemployment, and doing something about the taxation system. These targets will be difficult to achieve. Realistically we still have difficulties but, if all the various groups work together with no one acting unilaterally at the expense of the others, we can come through our difficulties.
We will be judged on how much of the plan we implement as soon as possible, by Christmas, in six months time and in one, two and three years time. Some of the elements in the plan should be implemented fairly quickly so that we can show that we have taken decisions and made improvements in the areas we have tackled. In other areas the targets set are slightly more long term and improvements will not be achieved overnight. With common action we can gradually work our way through the aims and the targets in the plan and achieve them.
We all hope for the provision of more jobs and the maintenance of people in jobs. The unemployment scene covers many people, young and old, people who never worked, people who are about to leave school or left school recently, people who have worked for a short time, and others who find themselves at the age of 40, 45 or 50 years out of a job. Given their age and the training they had, their prospects of getting a job are dim enough. I hope we can get people back to work. I hope the policy of the Government will keep people in jobs. We should be able to avail of markets in the EEC, in America and so on. It is important that we should make every effort in this regard.
We have to look long and hard at our education system with a view to reviewing it in certain areas where there are outdated modes and courses. These have to be changed. In the plan there is provision for a review of our education system and hopefully decisions on curricula and courses. Some courses may have been suitable in the fifties, sixties and even the seventies, but they are no longer valid. Anything that is not appropriate to the present day should be changed. I hope that when decisions are taken in accordance with the plan, they will be changed.
We have to look at the whole area of jobs, training and the various courses. We have to look at the agencies we are using to attract outside investors. We have to look at the incentives we are giving people to invest here. We have to make sure that initiative is rewarded and that we do not look on profit as an ugly word. We have to make it attractive for people to employ others. At present PRSI levels are very high and people think twice about employing others. Those levels have got worse steadily. That is not the fault of this Government, but I hope this Government will do something about them. We must make sure that we create a climate in which people will be encouraged to invest and as a result jobs will be created. We must see that as far as possible more and more people are taken off the dole queue and that people who come out of schools, colleges and training programmes will have jobs in the future. A certain emphasis must be placed on bodies such as the IDA who are seeking investment and perhaps they may consider new regulations. Industries different from the type set up by the IDA in the past may create more jobs. We must change with the times. We must be realistic and adaptable. When the IDA or other such bodies approach foreign investors we must be able to say that we can take these investors on board where heretofore we would not have been able to do so, that rules and regulations can change.
We must examine the role of our various youth employment schemes and the various bodies at present looking at the provision of jobs and we must look at the training courses being provided. There is no point in training a large number of people in certain courses if there is no real prospect of jobs for them at the end of the line. I hope that AnCO and other such bodies can extend their courses. I hope that they can make greater efforts and be given greater assistance towards providing jobs so that a person coming in to do a course can hope for a job at the end of it. I hope that the Minister present when replying can take some of these points on board in relation to courses now being provided. People come to us saying that they have done a training course but there is no job for them. I hope that these bodies are looking around with a view to availing of new schemes under which people will be able to work for two or three days in a week at the start and, if these people turn out to be a success, that they can then be taken on for the full week. Such a scheme could result in meaningful jobs. Heretofore people drawing assistance were available for work but could not work at the same time as they were drawing assistance. We must have a more flexible approach to this. We must examine areas where jobs can be created. I hope that new courses will result in meaningful jobs. There is no point in building up for so many jobs under a special scheme if something practical is not to come from it.
Another main element of the plan relates to the taxation system. The plan goes a certain distance in saying that taxation levels will not be increased or that the burden of personal taxation will not be increased above what it is now. While that is a desirable target, I hope that by the time we come to review the working of this plan in a few years' time we will have achieved even more than that. We must aim higher than what is contained in the plan. We must look at all our tax structures, our personal tax system, indirect taxation and all the taxes which make up our revenue. At the moment taxation is too high. We must get it down by as far as possible broadening the base. This can be achieved in various ways, even by getting money in more quickly. We hope the many tax evaders will be brought into the net. There are problems in relation to the complex tax system which we operate at present. I hope we can go some way down the road towards simplifying and making it equitable. Assessments are sent out from the tax offices which at times are ridiculous in the extreme. Then we start into the appeal procedure and long-running battles ensue between accountants or individuals and tax officials. Letters go back and forth seeking further information, all to do something which could have been sorted out in a few minutes if the tax inspector and the accountant or individual had sat down and thrashed it out. It ends up that what should have taken minutes or perhaps hours may take months or years.
I support measures to bring in tax evaders. On the other hand, many people get into this long-running battle over a simple claim. They may be looking for a rebate or a reasonable assessment and eventually months or years are wasted in solving the problem. Perhaps we can move towards a system which operates fairly successfully in the US, namely self-assessment, possibly by implementing some of the proposals of the report of the Commission on Taxation. We must get greater equity into our tax system and ensure that everyone pays his or her fair share. Particularly in relation to the PAYE sector and the self-employed I hope that a simpler system can be brought in.
At present we support six VAT rates ranging from 5 per cent to 35 per cent and this involves long hours of book work by individuals and small businesses who must make sure that their tax returns are up to date. We must, as the plan indicates, work towards a system of one or two rates, perhaps eventually one rate. There would be difficulties in that because some items are highly rated at the moment. We must get a balance in this. Some items carry a punitive rate and when we look at prices across the Border it is little wonder that people are going up there to shop.
I will try to deal briefly with a few other items mentioned in the plan. We must review the whole management and operation of the public sector to get in some areas a more efficient and effective service. Many civil servants give long hours of diligent work to this country and I pay my special tribute to them, but in some areas we can get a better return, and for the taxpayer paying his mammoth bill we must do so. I hope that with some of the reforms introduced by the Minister for the Public Service, Deputy Boland, improvements have taken place. However, much remains to be done. Much must be done in the semi-State sector to get away from the approach of an open chequebook policy. We have got to look at areas where money is being wasted or where we are not getting the best return for our investments. We must look at organisations that are outdated and are carrying out objectives given 30 or 40 years ago which do not apply to the eighties.
As a member of the Joint Committee on Commercial State-Sponsored Bodies I have learned of areas where money has been squandered and the public did not get a good return for the money spent. Hard decisions will have to be made in regard to some of those organisations. We must ensure that organisations using taxpayers' money operate on commercial lines. In the coming months I hope those bodies are investigated so as to identify any duplication of services or services that would be better if operated by a private concern. The objectives of some of those groups will have to be reviewed in the light of the needs of the present day. Many areas of the public service have been improved but a lot remains to be done. The taxpayers who must pay the bill are entitled to an efficient and effective service. We are not asking people to do more than work to the best of their ability but there must be reward for the high price taxpayers have to pay.
The question of local government reform is dealt with in the plan. Such reform is long overdue, particularly in the Dublin area. I accept that it will not be easy to carry out such reform throughout the country because of historical problems and so on but we must make a start. It will not simply be a case of redrawing boundaries because we must consider what we want local authorities to do. We must ensure that services are provided and that local amenities are maintained.
I understand that four or five separate bodies will be responsible for Dublin city and county. We have always had a problem in my constituency because part of Dun Laoghaire is the responsibility of Dublin County Council and the major portion of it the responsibility of Dun Laoghaire Borough Corporation. Local authorities must prepare realistic housing programmes because in the past they have found themselves in competition with private interests for the purchase of land for housing. Housing lists must be reviewed also. I accept that all people are entitled to proper housing but we must make a start in the area of local authority housing. It is possible that the proposal in the plan to give a grant of £5,000 to local authority tenants who decide to purchase a private house will mean that more people will be encouraged to buy their own property. There should be further encouragement by way of assistance to such people in their early years of occupation of their new houses. Housing lists in Dublin city and county are full and because of a shortage of land it is becoming more difficult to cater for the people on them. In my area there is a conflict as to whether available land should be retained for amenity purposes or used for building houses. Future plans should provide for play areas and so on. Planning authorities, and forestry interests, should be involved in all local authority housing schemes. At present a county council may make a tree preservation order only to have it revoked by the planning authority. We must ensure that in such matters one group does not act without the knowledge of another interested group. Any local government reform must deal with planning. I hope the proposals for local government reform are implemented before the local elections next year. However, I am not suggesting that the reform should be rushed through without giving it full consideration. Many of the archaic systems that exist in regard to water schemes and so on should be changed.
I welcome the suggestion that a national lottery be held. Details of the proposal are sketchy but I have no doubt that it will raise much needed money for local authorities. I suggest that those in charge of the lottery seek the advice of groups that have been running lotteries successfully for years. The proceeds from such a lottery should be given to local communities. Sporting organisations, and others, who seek assistance for community projects should be helped by the proceeds of such a lottery. I accept that the Minister is inundated with requests for financial assistance for worthy causes but we must remember that with the change in work practices people will have more leisure time available. Some of the proceeds of the national lottery should be devoted to the erection of community halls, football pitches and other facilities that will keep our young people occupied and ensure that they stay out of trouble.
Another matter of vital importance in the report is tourism. An efficient tourism industry will mean many more jobs and it is possible that some tourists, having sampled the facilities available here, will decide to return and establish industries. The greatest element in tourism is value for money. In many areas we give it but in many others we do not. There are many reasons for that. For instance, there are over-greedy people who think they have a good thing going for them and are trying to keep it up. We must look at the value we give to tourists in hotels, guest houses and other accommodation because if tourists can say they have got good value for money they will speak about it afterwards and come back. Some people here say that it is easier and cheaper to go to Spain or elsewhere because transport there and back plus their accommodation would cost them less than if they spent their holidays in some parts of Ireland. I emphasise "some parts" because there is good value for money in many areas. Bord Fáilte do much good promotional work and try to encourage value for money throughout the State.
The Government can play a part in this because they get back money in tax and it pays them to attract tourists. I spoke to a hotelier last night who said that VAT rates on sleeping accommodation, food and drink can run up a bill by more than 40 per cent. This should be looked at carefully to see if the tax content could be reduced. It would help to attract more tourists.
There are other matters in regard to tourism that we must keep in mind. I have been spoken to about the proposed extension in drinking hours. Though there is no firm proposal it has been suggested that closing time should be 1 a.m. We must look long and hard at this before we make a change. We must consider whether it will attract tourists or whether it will be availed of only by domestic drinkers. At the moment many of the latter go out late at night to have a few drinks. Perhaps now with longer hours they will stay longer in pubs. Therefore, we must look at the logic of the proposal. It is proposed to reduce the price of whiskey and the suggestion is that it will not deter tourists. That may be so, but will the reduced prices be for the good of everybody else?
We must look at our transport facilities. Someone told me recently that when people went from the North Wall to Liverpool there were fleets of buses at the other end to take them into the city but that when they returned there was only one bus and it was every man and woman for himself and herself. Therefore, we must look at the entire transport area in conjunction with tourism as well as for domestic accommodation. There has been much reference to what will happen when CIE are broken up. I hope the new structures will lead to more efficiency. If the DART service proves to be efficient and if the trains and link services are there when required many people would gladly leave their cars at home except, possibly, at weekends. However, the service must be reliable both mornings and evenings.
There have been many strikes, some wild-cat and some by groups of individuals. We must make it clear that we want an efficient public transport service. I hope that the new Dublin Transport Authority will reform the city's transport.
Parking facilities will have to be improved. People going to the taxation office at River House to do their legitimate business find when they return to their parked cars that they have been given parking tickets. There is a severe lack of parking facilities in that area and it should be examined quickly.
I wish to refer briefly to matters concerning my constituency. First of all, it is stated in the plan that a decision in regard to Dún Laoghaire will be expedited. It is long overdue and I hope the programme for the development of the town and harbour will be implemented as soon as possible in conjunction with local government reform. Whether the authority will be called the harbour authority or something else, I hope it will make better use of the harbour and the entire area. The name does not matter as long as the authority work for the good of the people, locally and nationally. Many such authorities have great names because of the efficient service they render but others with highfalutin' names do very little.
I welcome the work on the Blackrock/Shankill by-pass. The roads are chock-a-block with traffic resulting in huge bottlenecks. The Cabinteely by-pass when completed will be of great help and will ease traffic congestion for both tourists and local business and commercial interests. I hope the work will be expedited because it is urgent and long overdue. It is in the plan to be dealt with, I hope sooner than later.
I support the objectives of the plan which has set certain realistic targets in regard to areas which require immediate attention. In other areas it will take longer. It is important that we have a decisiveness which we may have lacked in the past. It is important that we have the courage and conviction to carry our promises through and get down to the job over the next few years. It is as much the responsibility of backbenchers, Opposition Members and the public to do this as it is the responsibility of the Government. The Opposition may disagree with certain matters and they are entitled to voice their opinions but I hope that in the national interest they will not play politics with it all the time.
We face many difficulties in the months and years ahead. It is only by a combination of effort that we will solve our problems. No one interest can look for a way out or something over the odds if they do not deserve it. We can come through the difficulties ahead.
In today's Irish Independent it was stated that as far as the general public is concerned judgment would be passed on the way the plan is implemented. It stated that politicians have a right and duty to analyse important policy decisions if only to make sure that some hitherto unnoticed weakness in any decision is discovered and brought to light. The man in the street will wait and see if his lot is improved over the next few years. If he gives the thumbs down sign we will have a different Government after three years.
With the Government's honesty, commitment and leadership we can tackle the objectives in the plan and will come through. We will be able to go to the country and say: "We have come this far; let us continue." I hope the country will respond with confidence to the plan. It sets many targets and objectives. Some of them can be easily achieved but others will take longer. It is important that we all act in the national interest. At times we have had a divide over issues for political reasons. There are some people who will advocate a catch-all policy and they will be believed. Unfortunately that kind of policy is responsible for many of our present problems. Despite some individuals promising to keep white elephants white we will resist that temptation. I hope the public will react favourably and give the Government a generous response to their task in the years ahead.
