Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his statement to the House. It is crucially important that we have this debate and that we in the Opposition keep challenging the Government in respect of commitments that were made and progress on those commitments because I am certainly willing to acknowledge progress but I am not willing to join in backslapping and self-congratulation. The Government is in danger of that from time to time and I do not think that would be in the national interest. The only congratulations that any party in government needs is a general election and the public will soon tire of self-congratulation. I have not heard that too much in the Minister's speech but it is a recurring motif of statements from the Taoiseach and Ministers.

There are a few areas that are not being properly addressed. One crucial area is the reform of professions and the sheltered sectors of the economy. The troika was very clear about this before it left. The Irish economy is very open and much work on opening it up and allowing for the type of job creation we have was done by the previous Government, which must be acknowledged. There are not too many sectors of the economy that need to be deregulated but there are some and they are key sectors. By and large, we are talking about medical and legal professionals. Little or nothing has been done in respect of them by this Government or indeed by previous Governments. They have ridden out the troika and come out smiling at the end with nothing happening. There was a suggestion some time ago in The Sunday Business Post that the consultants' contract, which was the one good thing that happened under the previous Government, is not even being enforced by the Government. Those areas where costs are higher are holding us and the economy back and need to be targeted. However, they are not being addressed and indeed many commentators have said that. My fear is that there are still vested interests who have the ear of certain people in the Government. One particular party in government seems to have made a big play in respect of the legal profession, which is a pity.

The Minister mentioned the sale of State assets in his speech under the title of ensuring debt sustainability. There was a huge debate a few years ago between the Government and the troika and between the parties in government over how much from the sale of State assets was going into the payment of debt - bringing down the debt is a good thing to do and I support the Minister on that - and how much was going into job creation, as it is called. I suppose Government spending is the correct way to describe it. In the Minister's speech today, he mentioned the sale of State assets and stated that he is working to maximise the value of what we own and offset it against our gross debt levels. The policy states that when market conditions and prices are right, the Government's intention is to continue to dispose of our banking assets. If there is a programme for job creation coming from the sale of State assets, I would like to know what that plan is because it is not spelt out in the Minister's statement. That seems to be at odds with much of the commentary that took place over the troika period and various victories that were claimed. We would say that Bord Gáis was massively undervalued and that there was a keen political impulse to sell it and show that we achieved something. Its sale was supposed to fund major infrastructural projects such as the national children's hospital, which is not really progressing. The sale of the national lottery licence is another issue.

Health care is another key issue relating to economic growth and reform. It is seen across the world as a matter that relates not just to the health of the public but to the growth of the economy. The market for private health insurance is collapsing. People are leaving it all the time, which makes it difficult for companies to provide insurance and to pay out when claims are made. This costs the State more money because it will ultimately pick up the tab for people who cannot pay for their health insurance. The Government seems to be at sea on this issue. Again, we know only from media reports that the Minister for Health has presented a White Paper to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform that based on media commentary seems to have been ridiculed by the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform. I suppose the Minister is in a position to let us know what he thinks of it. Certainly some of the figures that were played out, for example, the figure of €1,600 a year per person for health insurance, would be pretty frightening to most people because at the moment, that would buy one a pretty substantial policy in the private market. That has been made more difficult and I wonder about the Government's approach to this issue because it has been made more difficult by its changes to tax relief for health insurance. I must say that when I heard that first, and it was described as affecting only the gold-plated policies, I said to myself that it was a master stroke. It was a huge amount of money to be saved from the wealthiest but, of course, we found out that this was not the case and that it is really affecting a large proportion of health insurance policies, which is a pity. It does not show a joined-up approach by Government. There seems to be a lot of delay on the part of Government in respect of its plans that will affect not only health care but the economy.

The Insolvency Service of Ireland, which we supported, is up and running. We have concerns about some aspects of it which we put on the record. Very few cases have been dealt with by the service. A citizen met with me on Friday who told me that he was considering going bankrupt. The State fees alone are €1,000 or close to it. He went to professional advisers and was told that his costs would be €8,000. I know some organisations are doing it for €3,000 or for free with the State costs. The point is that it is extremely expensive for someone who wants to avail of bankruptcy or even the lesser options in the insolvency legislation. That is a pity.

It needs to be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that it is doing the job expected of it.

I do not know what the plan is in respect of repossessions. The banks were allowed to repossess properties last summer, since when there has been an avalanche of letters, threats and court dates. I know one man who is in court next week. Sustainable solutions have not been put on the table for such people. This is dreadful for them, their homes and the economy. It will not help us if people are left in limbo not knowing what they are doing. In certain estates, there are a number of houses where mortgages are in arrears. It will create a negative social impact if these houses are emptied out or banks move on them because people have stopped paying their mortgages. It is not worth paying a mortgage if one is in serious arrears, as the chances are that one's house will be repossessed anyway unless one can come up with substantial amounts every month. I know people who are paying two thirds of their mortgages per month, yet their banks do not deem that to be sustainable even though employment levels are starting to increase and there are some prospects.

We support the successes that the Minister outlined. We are delighted that quite a number of jobs have been created. However, much more could be done, yet there appear to be blockages in the system in that regard.