Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

While recent signs of economic recovery are positive and welcome, they are not being felt in every home across the country. Indeed, the impact of unemployment and debt means many families are still struggling. In 2014, the Government will focus on growing the economy and creating jobs, with specific targets set out in the recent strategy for growth. There are three high-level priorities for this year, namely, increasing support for the domestic economy, ensuring those most affected by the crisis are not left behind, and continuing political and public sector reforms to ensure the recovery is fair, inclusive and sustainable.

The Government has set out specific measures to be progressed in 2014. A new construction strategy will be launched to support jobs in that sector and plan effectively for our growing population. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, is progressing 70 major school projects in 2014. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, are expanding the energy efficiency retrofit programme for social housing, which will involve 12,500 homes and some 1,000 constructions workers. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varakar, will publish a new tourism strategy shortly. That strategy will build on the success of The Gathering and the measures already taken, such as the reduction in VAT on tourism services, which have helped to create more than 22,000 new jobs.

We will get more people back to work in 2014 through effective training and supports and targeting disincentives to work. We must ensure that those who lost their jobs and suffered most are not left behind in the recovery. We have already succeeded in reducing unemployment below the European Union average of 12%, with the target being to get below 10% by 2016 and a return to full employment by 2020. We must continue to grow the economy if it is to support new jobs. We are targeting growth of at least 2% in 2014, 2.5% in 2015 and 3% in 2015.

We will offer enhanced support and lending to small businesses and progress openness by enacting whistleblower and freedom of information legislation. We are also engaged in a restructuring of local government services. Whomever the people elect to local authorities in the forthcoming elections will have new powers to determine local charges. We are also improving water infrastructure. The provision of free GP care for children aged five and under is one of a range of health reforms under way. In education, we are introducing a self-assessment system for schools and taking steps to make school admissions more transparent.

While there is much remaining to be done, the Government has already made real progress. We kept our promise not to increase income tax or cut basic social welfare rates. Unemployment has fallen for 20 months in succession, to 12%, and 61,000 new jobs were created last year. We successfully re-entered the bond markets last year, at historically low levels. We have a new economic strategy to manage Ireland's economy to 2020. The liquidation of the former Anglo Irish Bank has been successfully implemented. The deal on the promissory notes will reduce Government borrowing by €20 billion by 2020. Of the 333 actions in the Action Plan for Jobs 2013, 90% were delivered in full. The revised plan for 2014 contains 285 actions to grow SMEs and start-ups. Pathways to Work has helped to move 27,000 long-term unemployed people into work.

The Haddington Road agreement will reduce the cost of the public service by a further €1 billion and provide for an additional 15 million work hours across all sectors. The new money-follows-the-patient system of funding in the health service is being implemented across 38 public hospitals, with payments made on the basis of the level of inpatient and day care activity. New legislation commenced in June requires pharmacists to offer cheaper generic alternatives to branded drugs.

Constitutional reform continued last year with two referenda and a body of work completed by the Constitutional Convention, which considered all eight issues presented to it, along with an additional two. The latest Dáil reforms mean we begin business in this House earlier each day and work longer to provide more time for legislative debate. The Government will continue to drive forward policy reforms across all sectors to ensure better services in the future in areas such as local government, schools and health.

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