Dáil debates

Tuesday, 13 February 2007

Photo of Pat RabbittePat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I was particularly interested in the Taoiseach's remark that "for all our new wealth, we are much the poorer". I understand where he is coming from in making that statement. However, does he accept that the quality of the delivery of many of our public services is the reason people feel they are poorer in this new, more affluent society? For example, does he agree that if a person is caught driving to and from work for an hour and three quarters or he or she is caught on the M50 toll bridge, he or she will not be particularly minded to train the under nines in the evening? These bottlenecks and deficiencies in our infrastructure and in the delivery of our public services and so on are leading people to question their quality of life, despite the apparent affluence they see around them.

Quality of life has suffered and we have not taken time out to think about its impact on people who are under considerable stress commuting long distances to work and who are concerned about the minding of their children and so on. Are these not issues for Government rather than a task force? Does the Taoiseach envisage the task force will make specific recommendations that are likely to address these big issues, which are the causes of our society being poorer, notwithstanding our greater material wealth?

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