Seanad debates

Monday, 22 March 2021

National Development Plan: Statements

 

10:30 am

Photo of Malcolm ByrneMalcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming in for the debate on the national development plan. A review of the plan will be crucial as we emerge from this difficult period. I encourage him to be ambitious, imaginative and creative. I wish to refer to six general themes under the plan that I think the Minister must consider. There is the post-pandemic social and economic recovery, the question of climate change, to which colleagues have referred, the rapid pace of technological developments and an ageing population. It is a fact that we are getting older as a country. We must also look at Ireland's place in a post-Brexit world and in an increasingly globalised society. The NDP should also contribute in some way towards the development of a shared island.

I noticed that the Minister mentioned that the post-pandemic recovery must be in line with the national planning framework.I agree, however, with a number of my colleagues, including Senator Casey, that we need to review the planning framework in light of changes we have seen in work practices because of Covid. I also agree with Senators Kyne, Higgins and O'Loughlin about the importance of community spaces. That is not just about open spaces, it also has to be about our theatres, sports facilities and other amenities that are part of our community and that make us who we are. Those things are often put aside in the big projects but it is crucial that they be part of this national development plan. It also means that we need to look at the creative industries and how we can support them through the development of studio space, infrastructure and skills in order that they can continue to grow. Colleagues have already mentioned climate change and that means looking at how we invest in our infrastructure, particularly when it comes to coastal protection.

Senator Craughwell made reference to the rapid pace of technological development and I am concerned that, as a country, we are not geared up sufficiently to look at that. The Senator spoke about fibre and we are talking about 5G technologies but we should be preparing for the possibilities to which 6G technology will give rise in the next decade. We also have to look at a situation whereby most of the forms of employment in which we are engaged will be dramatically changed. Blockchain technology will revolutionise banking, finance and public administration. I have to ask the Minister the extent to which Government is ready for all of that and is prepared to invest in further and higher education to upskill all of our citizens?

I mention the creation of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The Minister knows that it was a passion for Fianna Fáil to create that Department but if its work is simply administrative in nature, it will have failed. The Department needs to prepare people for the changes that are coming down the line as a result of developments in technology and ensure that all of our citizens can be upskilled and reskilled to be able to avail of that. Under this national development plan, that requires significant investment in our further and higher education institutions and particularly in the new technological university sector. The national development plan has to make a major investment in the upskilling and reskilling of all of our citizens.

We are going to have an ageing population. We have learned lessons from Covid but we have to look at how we will redesign our towns, cities and rural communities to ensure that as all of us are getting older, we are able to live as independently as we possibly can, and that the infrastructure is able to meet the needs of an ageing population. I have always been struck by the statistic that one in five teenagers will live to the age of 100 and that one in three babies born this year will live to the age of 100. Are we prepared to create a society that will be able to cope with that form of an ageing population?

This is a post-Brexit world and Senator Currie mentioned the fact that Ireland is an active and proud member of the European Union. We should always have that outward-looking aspect to our policy. That means we have to ensure the national development plan supports that. It means our ports and airports are equipped to be able to deal with that and infrastructure is crucial in that. I will make one local point about Rosslare Europort. It needs to be developed as a tier 1 port and we need to see the M11 motorway completed all the way to Rosslare. I do not just mean that from the point of view of its importance to Wexford. It has a national importance in a post-Brexit scenario.

In the context of the national development plan, we need to look at how we can support the development of a shared island. That is not just about infrastructure routes or new roads. It is about co-operation in areas of education and research to make sure that as an island we can face all of those challenges together. I set the Minister the challenge that he would be ambitious, imaginative and creative. I know he has the ability to be all of those things and in the context of the review, I look forward to seeing that it can be measured against those goals.

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