Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)

If run correctly, this country has the potential to be the most prosperous in the world. We can feed 15 times our population, even more if the Government changed its policy and let us drain land. The potential exists to double the number of jobs in the tourism sector. However, creating employment in an area like mine is difficult. The State has never successfully created jobs in my area. On my first day in the Dáil, I stated how many people emigrate from my area, even in good times. Nineteen of the 20 people in my and my wife's families needed to emigrate. Half of our respective families were born in London. No one has ever successfully created a sufficient level of employment in my area.

Throughout that time, the State has never had the courage to give people the power to control their own destinies or allowed for a decent system of local governance wherein people can decide their futures. This is a major problem. Had we that power, we would be able to reduce rates while retaining the same service levels, as we would have the power to get rid of waste in the local government sector. If one reduces the cost of rates, one makes it easier for someone to set up a business. There is no incentive for someone to set up a business in Roscommon, south Leitrim or any of the surrounding counties because, before one earns a single cent, one must give between €100 and €200 per week to the council. The latter is a totally unaccountable body in that it has an unelected person in charge. Therefore, it is a case of money down the drain.

Reducing rents would help us become more competitive. How did we get into circumstances in which the reduction of rents has become impossible because of upward-only rent reviews? We have a joke of a system in which one cannot win no matter what one does. Although one increases competitiveness if one reduces rents, our system is such that one reduces the value of people's pensions if one does so. Moreover, if one does so, one reduces the value of many of the properties in NAMA, thus costing the taxpayer even more money. We are tied to a joke of a system in which one cannot budge. No matter what one does, one gets hung out to dry. The system is broken and needs to be fixed. Until it is fixed, we will never go anywhere.

Agriculture has massive potential where I come from. It would have even more potential if the planning legislation passed some months ago behind our backs had not been introduced. How can one increase output if one cannot stop one's land from flooding? I am wrong in saying jobs will not be created in this area because jobs will be created for consultants and experts on areas in which they have never been before. They charge farmers a fortune to tell them they cannot drain their land. How do these people increase productivity or employment? The Government, if it really wants to increase employment in this area, would want to increase the suckler premium payment, which it halved, from €40 to €80. This would make sense. As a result of the reduction, the national herd has reduced by 30% at a time when we need more activity in this area. Farmers cannot afford to hold onto animals long enough because they do not have an incentive to do so.

I find rather amusing the idea that Ireland has a car industry, which industry must be stimulated by throwing money at car dealerships. This does not do anything for the economy. It does wonders for the Japanese and German economies but nothing for us because, although some of the money circulates in Ireland, the vast majority ends up in the countries with real car industries. If we were really interested in helping people in the car industry, we would encourage people not to buy new cars for three years. In this case, there would be a lot more employment for mechanics whose job would be to fix cars.

If I had more time, I would make many more suggestions.

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