Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State mentioned the national development plan, the various debates in the House on the plan, what underpins the plan and so forth. The national development plan must not be only about the physical infrastructure that we are going to build. The physical infrastructure needs to be built to accommodate the people. It has been said that we do not often discuss the future.

Let us consider why the Central Statistics Office does not have the data on shortages in the workforce, in industry and in the health service right across the spectrum. Are the Government and the Department of Health aware of the shortages of staff and the resources needed in the health service to enable it to operate at reasonable capacity? We should ensure it is not only operating on the basis of crisis management. All aspects of the health service must function well.

The Government should take bold steps to provide for the CSO to gather this information. This information should be readily available to any Government embarking on a national development plan. We saw all the bells and whistles associated with Project Ireland 2040. What about the people integrated into that development plan? Surely that development plan was about how we are going to have people living and working in the country.

I am somewhat aghast that the figures are not readily available on the shortages throughout the spectrum. What plans are in place? What programmes are in place for Irish people who have left in the past ten years that will encourage them back to Ireland? What programmes and incentives are under way within Government?

It is not often that Deputy Boyd Barrett and I agree, but I noted the question of conditions of employment and Deputy Boyd Barrett alluded to these as well. Conditions of employment are of great importance. The Minister of State said the national development plan is not only about the physical infrastructure. More important, he said it is about people. What is happening in the country at the moment with unbalanced regional development will have serious knock-on effects in the decades ahead. We need to cater for education now. We have seen the pressures when it comes to catering for education and college places. Indeed, as people grow and live longer there will be major democratic decisions for Government right into the decades ahead.

There is no integration. First, the CSO needs to get all the data on where the shortages and employment opportunities are and make that information available to the Government. We need to use that to sell the island and encourage more people to stay. We also need to ensure that the plans are about people as well as physical infrastructure.

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