Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It has been said that one cannot please all of the people all of the time. That certainly applies to the programme for Government. The creation of a programme for Government is a complex task. If a Government includes a substantial number of commitments and objectives in its plans, it will be accused of being too ambitious, overly confident and unrealistic. If a Government does not include a substantial number of commitments and objectives in its plans, it will be accused of lacking imagination and creativity.

It is important to record how desperate this country's circumstances were when we came into office. As a result of the lethal combination of economic mismanagement and a dire external climate, Ireland had relinquished its economic sovereignty and accepted a financial bailout. The economy collapsed quickly, resulting in soaring unemployment, failing businesses, dwindling financial resources and an increasing gap between income and expenditure. Not surprisingly, there was a feeling of hopelessness and fear. Negativity was all too pervasive. Three years later, there is a new sense of hope and optimism in this country on foot of the positive results we are seeing in areas like employment and economic growth. It should never be forgotten that our economic recovery has resulted from the hard work, determination and perseverance of the Irish people.

Is ceart ó am go ham go bhfuil seans againn sa Dáil breathnú siar ar scéal an Rialtais. Is taifead maith é. Nuair a tháinig an Rialtas isteach trí bliana ó shin, bhí an troika inár measc. Anois, tar éis obair an Rialtais agus iarrachtaí mhuintir na hÉireann, tá siad imithe. Is scéal maith é sin. Tá sé soiléir go bhfuilimid ar an mbóthar ceart ó thaobh eacnamaíocht na tíre.

A great deal of progress has been made across a significant number of areas covered in the programme for Government, the full title of which refers to national recovery. On the economic front, a policy of careful and sustainable building and recasting of the economy has yielded many results. We have regained our economic sovereignty. Ireland is the first country to have successfully exited an economic assistance programme, following the worst recession for 80 years. We have re-entered the bond markets at historically low levels. We have liquidated the former Anglo Irish Bank. Following the renegotiation of the promissory notes, the amount to be repaid has been halved, in effect.

The unemployment rate in the west was a staggering 17% three years ago, but it has fallen to 11.9% today. This huge improvement is verified by the increased participation rate in the labour market. This shows that the improvement cannot simply be attributed to emigration. Having said that, there is much more to be done. We cannot be complacent. We certainly need to ensure this growth continues. Some 61,000 new jobs have been created in the past 12 months. Ireland now has the fastest growing employment rate in the EU and the OECD. The number of people on the live register has fallen for the last 20 consecutive months. These undeniable facts irritate those who were hoping against hope that our country would fail.

Tá scéal maith ann freisin ó thaobh poist agus dífhostaíocht. Tá an ráta dífhostaíochta tite ó 15.2% go dtí 11.9%. Cé go bhfuil an ráta nua fós ró-ard, tá feabhas mór tagtha sa tír seo i dtaobh na dífhostaíochta. Tá sé ráite go bhfuil an ráta dífhostaíochta tite mar gheall ar imirce. Tá daoine óga ag imeacht thar lear, ach tá cuid acu ag teacht ar ais freisin. Tá na figiúirí a bhaineann le líon na ndaoine sa tír seo atá ag obair níos fearr ós rud é go bhfuil siad ag ardú.

This welcome growth in employment can be attributed to a number of factors, not least the relentless focus by all areas of Government and the State on job creation. I consider the Action Plan for Jobs to have been revolutionary in its ethos. By bringing together all the stakeholders in a process characterised by comprehensive consultation, the Action Plan for Jobs has succinctly set out the measures and acts that are needed to foster the best possible environment for job creation. The most important aspect of the plan is its clear identification of the Department, agency or organisation that is responsible for achieving each stated objective. All stakeholders are clear on the aims and objectives for which they are responsible. Everyone is focused on the overarching aim of creating jobs. The results of this can only be positive. The undeniable truth is that the Action Plan for Jobs is working. The figures and statistics demonstrate this. We need to continue that focus and intensify our efforts.

While there have been positives in many areas, there have also been frustrating delays. The introduction of free primary health care for all citizens is an honourable objective which would be of great benefit. While I welcome the introduction of free GP care for all children under the age of five, I am disappointed that the objective of introducing free GP care for citizens on the long-term illness scheme has been delayed. I think those with existing health conditions and chronic illnesses would benefit more from being able to access primary care free of charge. I am also concerned about the apparent impasse between the Irish Medical Organisation, which represents general practitioners, and the HSE.

It is vital to negotiate a new agreement that is reasonable and is done in a respectful manner. We must never lose sight of the fact that all sides have the same objective, which is to meet the people's health care needs.

The introduction of high-speed broadband outside our cities and large towns has also been frustratingly slow. High-speed broadband has made geographic location less relevant for many businesses and enables businesses in places such as Connemara to compete on a level playing field with those in central Dublin. Some 15 years after the shambles that was the privatisation of Eircom we are still experiencing the effects of selling off the entire network as well as the commercial entity. Due to this shortsighted and misguided step, the country is still playing catch-up in broadband provision.

The national broadband scheme in the middle of the last decade, while welcome, proved to be inadequate in many areas by inexplicably omitting areas that should have been included. We now have the national broadband plan which should bring speeds of at least 30 Mbps to all areas by 2016. The mapping project to identify the areas most in need is nearing completion and the negotiations within the European Commission on the state aid that will be required have commenced. However, the progress is frustratingly slow and it is all the more worrying given its importance for business. Broadband is as vital as electricity and water can be in that context.

However, I welcome the recent ESB (Electronic Communications Networks) Bill, which takes an innovative approach in changing ESB's remit to allow it to be engaged in broadband provision and to allow a suitable partner company to piggyback on the ESB infrastructure in order to provide high-speed broadband directly into people's homes. I hope that can be progressed by the ESB as soon as practicable. I look forward to the renewed emphasis on this area in the jobs action plan.

There has been scant progress on the micro-generation of electricity by homes, farms, schools and small local businesses. Outside urban settings it is possible for homes, schools and businesses to reduce their energy bills and to play their part in reducing the effects of climate change by installing domestic-sized wind turbines. However, apart from one electricity provider, providing a single scheme for householders only, there is no mechanism to reduce energy bills in a way that reflects the unused electricity generated by the turbines being fed back into the national grid. I have raised this with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, and with representatives of the electricity network, the energy regulator and energy companies, but nobody seems interested in tackling the issue.

Almost all can appreciate the precariousness of energy supply, feel the effects of energy costs and see the need to adopt more renewable sources of energy. Our legislation and our regulatory framework must keep pace and I urge the Minister, the Department and the relevant organisations and agencies to work together in a practical way to reward those who take initiatives and switch to renewable energy sources.

I acknowledge that the agriculture sector has experienced very positive growth in recent years. We have seen sustainable jobs created in companies such as Glanbia and Kerry Group, where 900 jobs have been created. Work on the provision of facilities for such companies is very welcome. I commend the Minister on his negotiations on the CAP, resulting in a strong Pillar 1 to ensure we maintain farmers who are producing food to benefit the food-processing factories, providing real jobs and boosting exports, and a strong Pillar 2, providing for the disadvantaged area scheme, the new GLAS, and the suckler cow scheme. They benefit all areas and predominantly the most marginal land in the west. There are challenges, including the collapse of beef prices this year and the near monopoly in the factory-processing sector. There are also challenges regarding ongoing penalties for land declaration, which is causing considerable concern in the west.

In the area of transport and tourism, I commend the signing this year of the first public-private partnership for a new road project at Newlands Cross. This is a further sign of the economic advancement of the country and shows that external investors are willing to invest in this country and no longer regard it as the risky investment it once was. Progress can now be made on the Gort to Tuam road in my county where land has been purchased over a number of years.

I would also like to see continued progress on the Galway city outer bypass, which I have raised here on numerous occasions. It has now gone back to the initial planning stages. It has been long delayed because of appeals by certain organisations locally. Local people have the right to object, but there have been many objections from others. I acknowledge the firm support of the Government and of the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, in particular for this vital project, which has been deemed number one in the country on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis.

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