Speech by the Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, T.D.,at the Plenary meeting under Towards 2016 in Farmleigh Houseon Thursday, 8 November, 2007 at 10.00am
Introductory Remarks
I am very happy to join you this morning for this Plenary meeting under Towards 2016. The last Plenary meeting I attended was in February. At that time, we were in the final stages of the last Government and facing into a General Election and all that brings.
Needless to say, I am delighted therefore to return for this first meeting under the new Government. I would also like to take the opportunity to welcome Minister Gormley to his first social partnership Plenary meeting.
I want to begin by emphasising our strong commitment, as clearly articulated in the Programme for Government, to maintain the success of social partnership in the years ahead. The Government is committed to working with you to ensure full implementation of Towards 2016.
Budgetary and Economic Context
It is timely to restate that genuine commitment to partnership as we reflect on the challenges facing Irish society during the period ahead.
Even in the short time since the last Plenary, it is fair to say that the economic outlook has changed. Forecasts of economic growth have been lowered due to a combination of domestic and external factors.
I will not dwell on the economic outlook as the Tánaiste will comment further on this issue and there will be a presentation on the Pre-Budget outlook later this morning. However, it is important to note that our economic performance and prospects remain impressive by international standards.
Our priority now must be to maintain our realistic approach to fiscal policy while investing in the economic and social infrastructure which will support sustained growth over the medium term. The agreed ten-year framework set out in Towards 2016, as well as the strategic investment programme in the National Development Plan, give us a good basis for managing the inevitable pressures and ensuring a consistent and balanced policy approach.
Implementation and delivery
We have made good progress to date on delivery of the commitments in Towards 2016. The Progress Report which you have all received today gives a comprehensive account of developments across the full range of areas.
The ‘Lifecycle’ approach adopted in the agreement has been reflected in the new cross-departmental offices which I established to deal with Older People, People with Disabilities and Integration. These new structures, along with the Office of the Minister for Children, are an attempt to improve the coherence of our policy approach for these groups. The key challenge now is to drive this approach down to the level of service delivery, where the individual citizen interacts with the public service. These structural changes are reinforced by a large number of specific improvements and reforms highlighted in today’s Progress Report.
We have continued to substantially increase investment in our health and education services, while pressing ahead with necessary reform agendas. Very significant improvements have been delivered in services for people with a disability, in care for older people in their homes and in special needs education.
We also continue to make good progress in upgrading our physical infrastructure. Well over €2 billion will be spent under Transport 21 during 2007, with many road projects coming in ahead of schedule. Development work continues on the Metro North and the LUAS extensions.
We are pressing ahead with the NDP investment programmes in areas such as agriculture, water, waste management, energy, education and communications. These investments will increase the productive capacity of the economy and our future competitiveness. We are increasing output of social and affordable housing, in the context of a changing housing market. Our ambitious Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation has the potential to transform our enterprise capability.
Improving the quality of life of our people, and realising the goals we share to build a Developmental Welfare State, are not just about spending more money. As we set out in Towards 2016, it is also about changing the way we do our business. It is about becoming world-class in our performance, smarter in the way we use our human and other resources, creative in the way that we develop and deploy IT, and focused on the essentials to build prosperity and equity in the Ireland of tomorrow. That means change.
If social partnership still has value, if it is part of the solution and not part of the problem – and I passionately believe that it continues to have a vital role to play – then it is about helping us to manage change. Of course, legitimate interests must be addressed. The rights of individuals and the common good must be protected. But that does not mean that we back away from necessary change, any more than we can insulate what happens in Ireland from the global reality of which we are part.
We are here, as leaders of the Government, to engage in dialogue to advance change and to promote our shared objectives. Social partnership will continue to have my passionate engagement, and the full support of this Government, so long as it is aligned with the common good and the creative solution of problems arising from the changing world in which we live.
In convening this process, and, in entering into our commitments in Towards 2016, we were matching your commitments set out in our agreement. We will be as faithful as we can be in honouring our obligations, on the basis that we all will do likewise.
This will not be easy. Being at this table is about accepting the responsibility of leadership, firstly within our own constituencies, but also, on the shared basis which we have negotiated, providing leadership together for our community as a whole. That is challenging. But it is the basis on which we have come so far together in this process.
In the period ahead, we will face changes arising from the more difficult economic environment. We will face changes at sectoral level, whether it be in manufacturing, or in tourism, or in aviation. We will face particular challenges in ensuring that the public service delivers to the highest standards, with the highest possible efficiencies and productivity, and with a clear focus on outcomes. My colleague, the Minister for Health and Children will refer to some very particular and urgent priorities which we must face together in implementing change in the health sector.
Our confidence in facing into these challenges should rest on the record of achievement which our collective effort has produced thus far.
Pensions
The launch of the Green Paper on Pensions last month has initiated an important dialogue on pensions and meets a key commitment made by the Government. This was an issue that featured prominently in the negotiations leading up to that Agreement. The whole issue of pensions was, I know, of particular concern to Congress and we should acknowledge their valuable role in leading the drive for an inclusive and open dialogue on the issue.
The range of issues dealt with in the Green Paper is comprehensive and the options set out and the implications which are analysed are necessarily complex. Given the profound nature of the issues concerned, it was essential that there be a solid platform for the major public consultation which is now under way. The Green Paper now provides that sound basis for developing an action programme and I hope that the opportunity for full engagement on the issues will be grasped by all stakeholders.
North-South Co-operation
Our implementation of the agenda set out in Towards 2016 is taking place in the context of a transformed political environment in Northern Ireland and greatly increased potential for enhanced North-South co-operation.
I know that all the social partners have been very active in building relationships with their counterparts in Northern Ireland for a long time.
The proposed establishment of a North-South Consultative Forum offers an opportunity to build on these contacts in a more structured manner. I know that initial discussions have begun on how to take this forward and I look forward to progressing these in the period ahead.
Energy Policy / Climate Change
I am sure Minister Gormley will highlight the priority that this Government is placing on addressing climate change and ensuring a sustainable and secure energy supply for the future. Environmental considerations are now reflected across the broad spectrum of policy formulation and the range of environmental commitments set out in the new Programme for Government aim to move Ireland into the top five countries in the World as measured by the Environmental Performance Index.
We have set ambitious targets in the areas of climate change and renewable energy. We are addressing environmental priorities through a range of Strategic Policy documents, such as the National Climate Change Strategy and the Energy White Paper. We have identified the potential for a stronger engagement between this policy agenda and the social partnership process. We look forward to developing this with you over the lifetime of the Government.
Concluding remarks
There is no doubt that much progress has been made under this agreement to date. I would like to thank all Social Partners for your significant input.
The new Government wants to build on that progress while managing the more uncertain economic climate which we currently face. In particular, we look forward to the review of the Agreement due to take place next year and continuing to work with you towards our shared vision for the future of this country and its people.
ENDS