A GOVERNMENT
OF RENEWAL
A Policy Agreement between Fine Gael The Labour Party Democratic Left
Dcccmber ] 994
Contents A Co\'crnmcnl HI' I{cuewal
7
Bunrcac ht ne hEircanll
9
Fist'al Polic)' P:mllllctcrs ...
10
MOllchtry ,md Exclmllgc Rate Polic)' ...
12
Northern Ircl:mrl ...
12
The Olher Main Priority -
,Iubs
14
Eco nomic and Social Partn e rs hip Publi c Enterprise Third Banking Force A New Approach 10 Business Deve lopme nt A New Approach 10
T~lckling
IS
17 19 19
L ongtcrm
Un employment
Loca l Guidance and Place me nt Service Special Employment MC;lsllrc
Partn ers hips While !',Jpcr o n Training
... .
23 23 24 25 29
Tax Rcfnrm ...
.10
A Slratcg)' fur Rellcwal The MiniSil:fs' and Secretaries' Act
32 32
Cabinet Co nfi ckntia lil Y
.12
Leg islative Reform " . Reform of th e Office of ALtorney Ge ne ral Freedom o f In formation Th e Official Secrets Act Minis terial Pay Minbtcria l Transport Oireach tas Re form ... Vo les for Emigrant s Co mmitt ees ... StalUtnry In strum e nt s Appointments 10 State Boards Di sburse me nt of Na ti o nal LOl! e ry Funds Accessib ilit y of Serv ices Citizens' Inform;lIion Im proving the Public Service Loca l Empowerment o f Peop le Administrative Proced ures Act The Orrice o f th e Ombuds man The Court s National Bureau of Fraud In ves li gn ti o n No n-nati o nals Legislati o n ... Furcign l'uli(',Y Issues Europe ... Peace and Co-o pe ration
Iri sh Aid Erunumic :lnd Social Pulit:y Ini1iativcs
Loca l Se rvice C harges
.,
33 33
34 35 35
36
36 39 39 40
40 4()
41 41
42 42
43 44 44 45 45 4fi
46 47 4~
50 50
Ag ri c ulture Food Indu st ry Occup ie rs LiClbility ... Marine Reso urces Tourism
51 53 53 53
54
Thc Em'ironmcnt "fh e Iri sh Sea and Se llafi e ld
55
Edul':ltiun
63
Bc .. lth and Wclf:lrc C hild Care
67
You ng People Equal P<lrti c ip;l1i on . Towards a Basic I nCOl11e for C hildre n ... Maintaining the Social In suran ce System Eq uality Pa yme nt s
1'lolIsing H o melessness . . .
61
69 7U 70 71 71
73
73 75
75 Crimc and .1 IIsticc . . .
76
Our Cultural Lire,. An Ghaeilgc An G ha c lt acht
7H
78 79
"
The A rt s Our I-I erilil ge ... O ffi ce of Puhli e Work s In1 e rp re ta1ive Ce n1re s Th e Fil m Indu slry Broa dcasling ... T ei liris na Gaci lge
79 81 81
82
.,
8"
83 84
Ahortiun Informatiun
84
I{ c\'icw
85
A GOV E RNM ENT OF REN EWAL A Cuvcrnmcn1 of RCllcwul Ours is a co untry f<l cin g op portunit y and chall enge. Th e
fruit s o f econ o mi c g row th , th e pri ce less di vid e nd of pe a ce , th e deve lopm ent o f o ur influ ence in E urope and th e wo rld , th e prospec ls o f a ne wl y vibnHlI cultural s pirit - a1l1h ese
arc th e share d pro pe rl y o f th e Iri sh peo pl e . G ove rnm e nt too, be lo ngs to th e peo pl e . Bu\ the relati onship be t wee n Government anci th e peopl e it ser ves has bee n dam age d by ;1 la ck of o penn ess. Thn! re lati o nship Illllst be re newe d , so 1h:ll th e peo pl e o f Irela nd Iw "c Lo lal
co nfide nce in G o ve rnme nt a nd in
;1
pOliti ca l sys te m wh ic h is
full y incl usive . W c arc a new G ove rnm ent , con sisting of Parti es w hose or igin s and devel opm ent arc mark edl y different. whose
po lic ies di ve rge at nUl11 e rous po int s. a nd wh o mi ght neve r ha ve joincd fo rces b ut ror th c fa ct Ihat Ireland is co n fro nting c ha nge Ihllt is res ha p in g o ur po liti cal c ulture. In th e life SP;lll o r thi s Gove rnm e nt. wt:; p k dgt:; o urselvcs 10: o
Th e reform o f Ollr in stituti o ns Ilt nati o nal a nd 10cIlI k vcl to prov id e se rvice , acco unta bi lit y, tran spa re ncy an d fr ee dom o f informati o n. In so d o in g we a rc cO lllmill e d to ex te ndin g th e o pportuniti cs fo r de moc rati c pa rti c ipation by c iti ze ns in air aspects o f publi c life . 7
o
Th e co nip lc ti o n of progress towa rds peace and reconci liat ion in No rth e rn Ire land based on pari ty o f este e m be tween communiti es and the full deve lop me nt o f th e Forum for Peace and Rcco ncil iil li oll.
o
The con tinued commitm ent 10 th e em ployment needs of all o ur people - especiall y th e long- te rm un employedis a cl ear priority if we afC 10 s uccessfull y address th e ca uses o f poverty and marginal isa tio n in o ur soc ie ty .
o
Th e development of an innovati ve ent erprisin g eco nomy
which mee ts th e de mands o f int e rnational co mpe titi o n, and shares the rewards of e ffo rt , initi ative and s lIccess. o
The refo rm o f ou r \;IX syste m, in parliculnr to re li eve th e tax and PR S I burde n on th ose wi th low in co mes and especially th ose with fami li es .
o
Th e im p le me ntati o n of pol icies to reflec t a co mmitm ent to th e best quality o f life fo r our peo pl e in te rm s of hea lth-care, justice. hOlls in g, educati o n. p ro tec ti o n o f children and the famil y. Legis lat ion Illu st refl ec t soc ial rea lit y and th e nee d to prov ide freedom for a wide ran ge o f va lues and lifestyles .
o
Th e int egra tion of e nvi ro nmen ta l considera tion s in to all aspects of development pol icy and ac ti on so that o ur natural and cultur<ll heri tagcs will continu e to be ava il able 10 futu re genera tion s.
These objccii ves will lay the foundnti o ns for Ireb nd in th e 2 1st Ce ntury when we wi ll deve lop a d ee pe r and mo rc K
co mpl ex re lati o nship with E urope -
no lon ge r primaril y a s
be nefi ciari es of fundin g. Thi s programme fo r Government will lead Ireland to becom e a more se lf-re liant , c nt e rpri sing ;lI1d inn ova ti ve socie ty with a national se lf-confide nce in o ur ow n ability. From thi s mo me nt
011.
and fo r the e ntire life o f this
Government. we mak e this commitm e nt : in eve rythin g we do, wc will hon o ur th c c haract e r. ambiti o n, and spirit of our people . BlIllrcm:ht na hEirc<lnn Since 1968 , w he n th e Co nstituti o n R eview Co mmitl ee repo rted , th e re ha s bee n a host of maj o r c han ges in Irish life and va lues, a nd ill th e ro le o f the institutions o f State. l3unre ac ht na hEire ann it sel f h<l s been Changed by piecemeal <lll1endment o n num e ro us occasions si nce th e n. Through th e process of Judicial R eview th e Co urt s ha ve co ntinu ed to int e rp re t th e Co nstitution -
sometimes in far-
reac hin g and un expecte d ways. Th ese c han ges and ju d icial int e rp re tatio ns in ev itabl y arose from sig nificant co nlL'mp Ol'<lry c han ges or co nc(.' rn s. T o provide focus to the place and re lev an ce o f the Co nstituti o n, and to estab li sh those areas where Co nstituti o nal chang!.; ma y be desirable o r necessary, th e Government will pro pose th e es tabli shm e nt o f an all-Party CO lllmitt ee o f th e Oircachtas to rc vicw th e Co nstitutio n.
It is int e nd ed that thi s all-Party COlllmill ee will begi n work
in January 1996. As a fir st step. th e Gove rnmen t will appoint a group o f expe rt s to prepare a report o n nil aspects of the Co nstituti o n, :lIld thi s report will be published and presented to th e Oireachtas CO lllmill ee before th e end o f
1995. It is of co urse not th e Government's int e nti o n that this approach will prevent o r dela y any necessary chan ge in th e meantim e.
FISCAL POLICY PARAMETE RS I.
Thi s Gove rnment is c01llmilled to firm mana geme nt o f the publi c finan ces throughout its pe ri od o f o ffi ce. In particular, wc acce pt th e public debt phil osop hy and targets se t o ut in th e Maa stri cht Treaty.
2.
Th e Maastri cht Treat y req uires prospecti ve partici pant s in European Eco no mi c and Monetary Union 10 adhere stri ctl y to an annual General Government Deficit o f no mo re tlwn 3% o f G DP. which ro ughl y lr,lllslat es into an Excheque r Borrowing Req uire ment of 3(;-~ o f GN P, and to redu ce their
debt/G DP ratio towards 60 ' Yu. 3.
Havin g rega rd to i) th e ex pected growth rat e of th e econo my ove r th e coming 3 ye ars
'"
ii ) th e ex pected growth in empl oy me nt nnd fall in unemployment , and iii ) th e ex t ~ nt to whi ch the Exc hequc r will benefit from EU tran sfc rs ovt r th is pe riod . - it is appropriat e in th e casc o f Ire land that the defici t be maint<lined at a leve l com fo rtnbl y within th e Maastricht benchmark; - accordingly, the impl e me ntati o n and pha sin g of all comm itm en ts in thi s Programmc wi ll depend on th e ir co nsistency with th e requ ireme nt s Ihat th e Excheque r l3orrowing Req uire ment bc kepi prudently b:low 3% of GN P and th e debt/GDP rillio he stead ily red uced towa rd s 60'){L Over Ih e period o f thi s Programm e il is intended th a t the growth of current suppl y se rvices spe nding will be co nst rain ed to a ma ximum of 6'10. in no min al terms in 1995, and to an ave ra ge annual ral e o f 2% in rea l te rms over th e fol lowing IwO yea rs o f th e Progra mme. 4.
Th e fruit s of eco no mi c growt h will he used in s ubsta ntial measure for tax reform as well as th e improve me nt of publi c se rvices. T ax reform wi ll favour th e incentive to wor k; lackl e th e poverty trap; aim to red uce the la x wedge, and e nco urage ente rpri sc d eve lop me nt and growth. Thi s will req uire tlWI public expe nd iture growth wi ll be morc modest 11
th,-lIl ha s been th e case since 11)90. Th e ac hi eve me nt of this will be fa cilita ted by Ihe fact that th e obli g<l ti o ns in re lati o n 10 th e deferred pa ymerll o f publi c se rvice pa y increases fr o m th e period 1987 to 19t)() have been me t. 5.
Th e Government is also co mmill ed 10 reform o f public expe nditure that wou ld lead to grea ter efficicncies, bette r qU <llity of serv ices. va lu e for mo ney. and improved moral e in the pub lic service.
6.
Ad he re nce 10 th e fisca l pnramelers o utlin ed above s ho uld pe rmil for substanti a l t,lX redu cti ons in each of th e nex l three ye<lrs.
MONETAI{Y AND EXCHANGE I(ATE POLICY 7.
A swbl e curre ncy is esse nti al to th e mainl e l1nl1 Ce of low inOalio n and co mpe titi ve ness. Accordingly, a s\;lbl e exc hange rat e for th e Iri s h pound within th e ERM will re main the cornerstone o f mo ne tary poli cy.
NOIHI-IERN mELAND K
I~
Th e Gove rnll1 e nt 路s prill1ary tas k ove r th e nest three ye ars will be to co nso lid a te the progress towards
peace and reconci liation in Ire land . We will work ope nl y wilh eve ry political P;lrt y which has d Clllo l1 sl rut ed a commilment 10 the process. We will e ns ure thal Ih e Forum for Peace and Reco nc iliati o n enabl ed 10 comp let e it s important work.
IS
9.
Our aim is to secure a d eep und lastin g acco llllllodati o n bet we e n allll1e traditions in Ireland . based on equalit y of estee m and parit y o f trea tm e nt. and leading ult imat e ly towards an agreed basis for li vin g and working toge th e r on Ihi s is land .
10.
Building o n th e D ownin g Street Declarati on . we wi ll work closely with th e British Government to compl ete the J oi nt Framework Doc um en t, and to use that document as an agenda for detailed nego tiati o ns invo lvin g bOlh Governments and all Parti es in No rth e rn Ireland.
11.
In th e context o f th e Framewo rk Docu me nt. and in s ubseq ue nl nego tiati o ns , th e Government is commilled to th e three路 slrandecl approach ;limed al addressing relationships within Northern Ire land , belween North and South. and betwee n Dublin and Lond o n.
12.
Th e G over nm e nt is cOlllmilled 10 ha lanced co ns tituti o nal chan ge in th e context of an ove r<l ll se llicm e nt , which mu st e ns hrin e th e principl e o f
co nse nt in place of all threa ts o f cocrcion o r domination. whil e safeguarding the ide ntit y nnd aspiratio ns of alltr<lCiitions. 13.
With regard 10 th e co nso lidati o n of th e peace process th e liftin g o f the Sta te of Eme rgc ncy nnd legislnlio n o n th e Co nve nti o n on th e Tran sfe r of Pri son e rs will be exped it ed, imlll ed in lC ly fo ll owi ng the formati o n of th e Gove rnm e nt. We will ca refull y review nil legis lation and co urt arrange me nt s associalCd with lh e mana ge men t of th e co nfli ct in th e la st twe nt y five years .
14.
We will estn bli sh a s ub-Committee of th e C abin e t to dea l with Northcrn Ireland mallcrs, and wc will e nsure that the Foreign Affa irs Comm itt ee of th e O,lil is kept informed o f all deve lopm c nt s to the ma ximum ex tent poss ible.
THE OTlIEI{ MAIN PRIORITY - JOBS 15.
Th e overa ll performance o f the eco no my in rece nt years ha s bee n strong. Th e main econo mi c indi ca to rs co mpare fa vou rabl y with th e rest of Europe . A I prese nt , econo mi c growth is stron g an d accckrating: inf1nti on is low and sta b le; th e ba lan ce of payme nts is in s urplu s: and th e national debt as a proportion of nati o nal output is falling. Employment is increasi ng
I路'
substanti:llly, and un e mpl oyme nt , finall y, ha s begu n 10 fall. 16.
It is important to co ntinu e to kee p firm co ntro l of th e
puhli c finance s and to main lain a stab le exchan ge rat e t o consol idat e this progress. A I th e S:l lll e lim e , th e ambitiou s targe ts we are setti ng oursc!ves in this Prograllllll e will ca ll for th e full es t co-o per<l ti o n betwee n Governm ent ;lIld th e Social Partn ers, a nd wi ll need time to be rea li sed. 17.
Prude nt eco nom ic manage me nt alon e will neve r reac h into those co mmuniti es and famili es who ha ve s uffe red from di sadvantage , o r ha ve been by-passe d by g rowth.
18.
We need new id eas and imagination. and wc must especiall y target arCilS where disadvantage an d un empl oyment arc hi ghes t, and give fir st priority to th e lo ng- term un e mployed, th ro ugh a se ri es of spec ial measures d es ig ncd to ge ne ra te work, and provi de trainin g a nd educatio n nt loca l com munit y leve l, wi th a view 10 crea tin g a pos iti ve climate of o pportunity fo r all th ose without work.
19.
E nmumk and SOfial I路artllcrship
Th e Gove rnm e nt will give th e ir full support 10 th e deve lopm e nl o f economi c and social partn e rshi p al all
leve ls o f Iri sh econo mic and social life. Th ey will build o n th e achi eve me nt s o f th e pew anLi th e e arli e r agree me nt s which ha ve stre ngth e ned o ur econom y, <llld assist ed o ur in crease d co mpe titiveness. The participati o n approach to eco nomic development will be stre ngth ened at sec toral and e nt erprise leve l through a dialogue with th e Soc ial Partners al local and nati o nal leve l. on meas ures 10 tran slat e nati o nal achievements int o advances in individual workplaces. Assistance will be give n to e mploye rs and trade uni o ns 10 wo rk toge th e r in mod er ni si ng and updatin g labour relati o ns practi ces to achieve wo rld class status for mo re and more compani es. Parti cular attention will be give n 10 improved oppo rtuniti es fo r consultation, participa tion ;1I1c1 info rmati o n discl os ure, so that e mpl oyees call be fU.ll partners in th e d evelopment of th e ir enterprises. Support will be give n for in creased partic ipation e ithe r direct ly thro ugh te am working. quality circles. just- in-tim e sc he mes etc. or through share ow ne rshi p sc hemes and Work Coun cils. 130ard membe rship for e mployees ' representatives in both the public and p ri vate secto rs will also be e ncou ra ged. Steps will he tak e n to e liminat e o r remove any administra ti ve, tax O f we lfare o bstacl es to job sharing, 16
vo lunt ary parHimc work ing, n cx ibl e working o f a seaso nal or temporary character or career breaks and ed ucation leave. ThL' equali sa ti o n o f treatm e nt fo r part-time workers in a ll form s o f soc ial protection wil l be prog ress ive ly provid ed for. A spec ial unit of th e D epartment o f Enterprise ;lIld Empl oy me nt will be cre at ed to assi st th e soc ial partn e rs in deve lop in g ' new ways of wo rkin g路, in creasing labour-managemen t coope ration and stre ngth en ing eco nomic and soc ial partn e rs hip at enterprise leve l. As part o f th eir in crcascd soc ial respo nsib ility co mpani es wi ll be e nco uraged to deve lo p more effecti ve social and eco auditin g to improve th eir foc us on til e re lat ionsh ip bc twee n eco no mic pe rformance a nd good soc ial and e llvironm e nt ,lI pro tec ti o n. FAS wi ll be asked to deve lo p ncw programm es fo r continu o us updating of s kills and co ntinu o us le nrnin g for those at work and those see king e mpl oy ment or wishin g to St,lrt th e ir own busin csses.
20.
Jluhlil" Enterprise
T hi s Government will rev itali se pub li c ent e rpri sc. Policy wi ll cJwllge fr o m a rem:live to a 111 0 rc int eractive approa ch. It is recogni sc d th at dramatic 17
chan ge will occur in som e stat e co mpani es. The twill drivers o f techno logical cha nge and EU co mpe titi o n rul es will signifi ca ntl y affect what we re o nce " natura l mo nopoli es" in the S tat e sector. Ou r approach to th ese inevitable fo rces will be 10 e nsure tlmt all chan ge in th ese compani es will be ma na ge d in th e best int erests o f e mpl oyees. ta xpaye rs. and co nsumers. Empluyme nt m<lximi sa ti o n within th e: co mpetitive e nvironmen t will be a key obj ec ti ve and th e devel o pmen t of these compa nies will be a pri o rit y. 21.
State asse ts wi ll not be so ld e;.;ec pt wh ere it pro tecls empl oy me nt and is in th e lo ng-t e rm str<lt egic int e rest of Ih e co mpan y and il s stak cho lde rs. Any reso urces rel eased as a result wi ll be used fo r jo b creation. \1+,/c will re tai n majority slat e owne rship in th ese companies. Opportuniti es for expansio n 10 uti lise the ba nk o f skills in th ese compani es will be c llcour'lged.
22.
Commerci a l Slat e Bodies wi ll be give n a cl ear co mm e rcial ma nda te and clarit y in th e finan cial targets which measure th eir pe rformance. Where soc ial obliga ti o ns arc imposed. th ey sho uld be paid [01' se paratel y.
23.
Th e re mit of th e Committee o n Stat e-spon so red Bodies wi ll be widened , in particu lar to c lwbl e th e Co mmittee 10 investigate any matt er invo lving
un c thic<1I oe haviour by a pani cular State-sponsored Body in the co nduct o f it s business, or by any of its Board me mbe rs or cm pl oyees. 24.
Th e cstablishment of ind epe nd e nt regulat o rs for te leco mmunica ti o ns a nd e lec tri cit y will be pursued as appropriate in th e yea rs ahend .
25.
A Co nsum er Bill o f Ri ghts in eac h area will gua rant ee st<lndard s of se rvice from sem i-Stat e companies. Th ird Ihll1king Fnn:c
The Gove rnm ent is co mmitt ed to th e promo ti o n of a vigorous Third Force in Banking. POlicy will be directed towa rd s e nsurin g a major rol e for th e ex isting St;:lI C Banks and th e T SB in any futur e rc-s tru cturin g. 27.
A New Appro<lch 10 ll llsincss Oc\'ciOI)IIlCII I
In lin e with the T elcsis and C ullit o n Repo rts, th e Government secs th e d eve lop me nt of ,I stro ng. vibr;mt indi ge nous indust rial sec to r as bei ng th e basis of futur e eco nomic nnd emp loyme nt g rowth. It is int e nd ed to target financial and administrative reso urces to the indi geno us secto r. T he Gove rnment will promote industrial clusters and industrinl distri cts in Irc lill1d , focusing grants o n th e d eve lop me nt o f fostering clu sters of related industri es I'.
around market ni ches. whe re the re is co mpe tit ive advantage . in o rd e r to facilitate s hared 1Ilfo rmati o ll . rese arch and distribution . In thi s way wc wa nt to enco ura ge "coope rati ve co m pe titi o n" whe re firm s coope rat e o n mark e tin g (parti cularl y abroad), rese arch, e tc., but compe te in th e norma l way . At th e Ievd of th e firm , m<lIly cha nges which arc occurring in manufactur in g arc mos t welcom e. HUIll HII Reso urce M,uwgement, which focuses o n th e work Cl' as th e key to co mpetiti ve success , mu st be active ly e nco uraged . Th e flatt e nin g o f th e firm , whieh has a maj or impa ct on man y manage rs. is inevitable. Th e int egra ti o n of Illulti -s killin g and no n-hi erarc hi c;d managemel1l structures libe rat es wo rk e rs and management , whil e boos ting productivit y ,ln d inn ovat io n. Iri sh finan cial in stitution s, in cluding th e ban ks, s ho ul d be encou ra ged to t,lk e a more strateg ic and lo ng- te l"lll approach to fin anci ng busine ss. TII (; traditional ;lpproach to suppo rtin g industrial d evdopment Iltl s bee n expensive for th e taxpayer. bill ha s fail ed 10 p roduce s uffi cie nt jobs o r a st rong indi genous sec to r. It ignored th e potentia l of serv ices, by foc using primari ly o n manuftlc[uri ng, A lt e rnati ve approaches wi ll be extl lllin ed. These wi ll e mbracc in creased attention to se rvices, including
"
to uri sm. as wel l as manufacturing. There wi ll be a conce rt ed programm e to he lp small busi ness in lh e cre ation of e nterpri se a nd e mploynfc nt. Kcy measures for consideratio n includ e : o
A review o f th e syste m o f e mpl oye rs' PRSI co ntributi ons in th e labo ur int e nsive areas:
â&#x20AC;˘
An in ves ti gation of th e poss ibilit y o f es ta b li shin g a venture capital fund , in partne rship between Forfas and th e financial in stitution s to co nce ntrat e o n inves tm e nt in seed and start -up companie s;
o
Strengthen in g o f th e Co mpetition Au th ority by giv ing it e nforcement powe rs and by e nablin g the Court s to impose s tiff fin es on those found to be engagin g in unfair competition:
o
Reco nside rati o n o f clI rrent p roposa ls to e xe mpt most me rge rs and tak eove rs fr o m an y sc rutin y, in discussi o n with th e soc ial partne rs;
o
Th e rcch:finition o f th e industries cove red by th c d evelopme nt agencies to include areas of th e se rvice industry that offer growth in employment:
o
In stead o f th e dominant focu s
0 11
grants, th e
age ncies including Forba irt and I Pe. will further deve lop: - the ope rat ion of an execut ive placem e nt o r second me nt programm e; :.!I
~a
study or how to facilitate new rranchise arrangements;
~ the
id e ntiri ca tion of consultants, the filling of gnps in mark e ting, produc(ion and de sign
capabilities: - t he design of fo cuse d (raining programmes (particularly for entreprcneurinl and mana gc ment skills). o
2K
An cxa mination of the prese nt corporation ta x structure for the intcrnationnl services sector.
Additional specific measures for Small Businesses include o
The introduction o r legislati o n to e nforce prolllpt paymc nt by public bodies to small businesses:
o
The provision of info rmation and advice to small finn s who fail in the ir bid for public contracts so that public purchasing can beco me a morc accessible market for small business;
o
Modification of th e te rm s of th e Busin ess Long Term Loan Fund to mak e it more access ible to small business and th e se rvice sector ;
o
An impl e me ntati o n programm e o n th e recomm e ndations of the Task Force o n Small Business;
â&#x20AC;˘
The e xaminati o n o f initiati ves to he lp fl edgling bus in esses throu gh th e critic;]1 s tari -Up pha se.
A Ncw Apprmlch 10 Tuckling Longtcrm Uncmployment 29.
Despit c all the fa vourabl e econ o mi c indicators and th e huge in cre ase in numbe rs parli cipatin g in th e revamped Communit y Employment Sche mes. th e re arc ,1 group of ve ry lo ngte rm un e mploye d peo ple whose e xpectati o ns are not changed by th e risin g tide of co nventi o nal eco no mic growth.
30. Th e re is a gro win g bod y of int e rnation a l ev id e nce
supporlin g th e nee d fo r a co mpre he nsive g uidan ce se rvice wh ic h will !Hilo r inn ov:lti ve educati o n, training and pla ce me nt int e rvc nti o ns to th e indi vidual need s o f the pe rso n in vol ved. The a im must be 10 bu ild up th e s kill s and capabilities o f peopl e :llld all ow progress ion 10 be tt e r 0 pP0 riuniti es in th e jo b mark e t. Local Guidance and Placement Scn'icc 3 1.
T o im pact o n th e li ves o f th ese indi vidual s, th e ir familie s and ne ighbo urh oods. it is pro pose d to es tablis h an int ensive guidan ce and p l<l ce me nt se rvice o perat ed <It local level. It is ba se d o n th e co ncc pt d eve lo ped by th e N ESF. It will be targe ted at s pec ifi c nreas o f acut e need s and also include are as not in the Partn e rship initi:lti ve.
32.
It will be establish ed using reso urces from
- Fa s (Syste ms Admini stration La bo ur Mark e t E xperic nce ) - V ECs (Qualifi ed Co un scllors) - Th e D e partment of Soc ial Welfare (Jo b s uppOI"l slaff) - ICTU ce ntres and oth e r relev ant age ncies and organi sati o ns. Differe nt d elive ry mode ls arc e nvisaged de pending on local need . Th e active invol ve me nt o f local employulll and trad e uni o ns would be an esse ntial el e me nt. 33.
Th e fundin g o f this se rvi ce will bc s ubstantiall y throu gh the secondm ent o f appropriat e perso nnd fro m th e ex istin g age ncies. from Soc ial Welfare, ~III(\ EU mo ni es .
Special Employment Measure 34.
A ne w E mpl oy m e nt Measure will be introduce d fOl' the lo ngtc rm unempl oye d nlld be wrgc ted o n di sad vantnged areas. J o b o pponunit it: s with a ran go t11 diffe re nt public tlllthorities and age ncies. voluntary bodi es and pr ivat e sector e mpl oye rs will be idcntiriod thro ugh th e guidan ce se rvice . Th cy shall be based 011 mo del s. including those ad vance d b y both th e Co nfe re nce o f Re li gio us in Ire land and th e Nati on!!1 Eco no mi c and Soc ial Fo rum. An important fe:ltul"l; 01
th e mod e ls would be <l gree me nt with e mpl oye rs o n three to fi ve year contract s, attracting agreed rHt es and condition s. The contract s ma y in vo lve different levels o f weekly working ho urs. 35 .
Oppo rtuniti l:s within th e public and vo luntHry secto rs would qualify for higher levels of mate rial g rant s than curren tly <lv<lilable to spo nsors. Spec ifi c Hnd personal devel o pm e nt modules of at leas t onc da y per week will be built int o all programmes.
]().
Th e primary funding for this new empl oy me nt meas ure will come I"rom a com binatio n of SoeiHI Welfare tnmsfern.:d pH yment s Hnd effici e nl use of EU and Excheq uer alloca ti o ns espec iall y thro ugh ;1 reprioritis'ltion of th e human reso urces budget.
P:lrtncrshil}S
37.
It is en visage d th a l th e ex istin g Partn e rship compnnies would be intimately invol ved with th e development of th ese initiati ves in their own areas.
38.
Th e proposals would req uire a coord inat ed approach using th e strengt h of each ex ist in g organisation in the fi e ld. Pri o riti es and strat egies would be ce ntrall y designed but loca ll y managed within a framework.
39.
Ex isting agency bud ge ts wou ld ha ve 10 he freed from current straight-ja cke ted de livery mechani sm to
re spo nd to loca l needs. The guidance se rvice could place peopl e on the new special e mplo ymen t mcasures , or an the ex isting community e mploynh': lIl sc heme, or directly in e mployment. In addition it would ha ve access to places on all e:\pa nd ed progra mme und e r Vocational Trainin g Opportunili uM Scheme, the third leve l ed uca ti o n sc he me and the
Bad to Work Allowance. 40.
In order to succeeJ. thi s new approach will nee d Ih l) positive support of e mploye rs. trade unions, co mmuniti es ,md cen tral and loca l gove rnm e nt. Through this new approach and harness in g the gOO(t will and coo pera ti o n o f th e social partllers at nati orml and loca l leve l, <I significant in crease in p;uticipatiurl will be achieved during th e lerm of office of the Government.
41.
An improved Vocational Trainin g Opportunities Scheme (VTOS ) will be ex panded fro m th e currc nl level. FulI Social Welfare and secondary Benefits wi ll be re tain ed.
42.
Recog nisin g that more un e mployed peopl e and lo ne parents wish to go o n IQ Ihird leve l ed ucati o n. Ihe numbers participating will ri se from 1,200 per annuli! . with full rete nti o n o f Soci<11 \Velfare and seco ndary Benefits for those participating in full -tim e ed uca ti on ,
43.
Th e Back to Work Allow,lI1cc Scheme will increase fr o m 5,500 places all ow in g unempl oye d people and lo ne parents [ 0 go back to work o r take up sclfc mployme nt while re taining 70% o f their soc ial we lfare pa yme nt s in th ei r first yea r of wo rk and 50% in th e ir second year.
44.
The Com munit y E mployment Sc he me will be co nt inued , with a target of p1Jccl1lent fo r each d isadvantaged area and une mployment bla ckspo t, in co-operation and agreem e nt wi th Socia l Partners.
45.
Local Authorities or ot her Statutory Age ncies and Public Bodies participating in com munit y e mpl oy me nt sc he mes with a clearly la id o ut programme of work fo r the improvement o f disadvantaged areas, wi ll qualify for co mpl e me ntary finan cing towa rd s th e cost of materials and any o th er cos ts in cu rred in re lation to such sche mes. Projects will be sought in respec t of sc he mes of:- E nviro nme nt al improvements - Layo ut of Loca l A uthority Es tat es - Te nant Est at e Manage me nt in partn ers hip wit h th e Loca l A uth orit y -Co mmunit y Crec he and Ch ild Ca re faci liti es -Community Spo rt s and Le isure facilities
- Communit y based art s and culture project s - Co mmunit y based schoo l project s at p re-school, primary. and seco nd leve l - Communit y care including th e CHIT uf Ih e e kkrl y - Com mun ity based assistan ce and res pit e for penp\ l with a di sab ilit y. 46.
In orcl er -to e ncourage th e maximum participation 01 women in Co mmunit y Employment in di sn d va nt :Ig d areas, participation will be broildened to inclucle women who arc pilrt o f nn un emp loyed o r low im': OIll famil y,
47.
A you lh op portuniti es employme nt programm e 1'0 1' I ~ to 2 1 ye ar-aid s will be crea ted to allow yo un g pco plo access to e mpl oy me nt pnrtieipa ti o n and trainin g at co mlllunit y level. It wi ll aim to provide op portullili UH as fo llow5:- Prc -p rofess ional work c xperil:n ce in co llltlllln llv carc. child ca re, ed uca tion and work wi th peoph: with iI ph ys ical o r me nial di ~;;l bilit y , Such work cxpc ri e nce wi ll be acc redit ed :lnd recog nised for appii c<l ti o n to nursin g e tc. III disad va nta ge u areH S thi s co uld prov ide a mechanism for additional numbe rs o f yo un g pe o ple ge llin g into third level and professio nu\ training.
4K .
Whitc P:'IPCI"
011
Training
\V c propose to publish at an ea rl y date a com pre he nsive White Pape r o n Trainin g. Th e White Pape r will address the foll ow in g: •
Inves tm en t in th e cont inuin g training o f Irish workers' needs. to bc brought up to leve ls eq uival e nt to th e bes t prac ti ces of o ur inl c rnnli o nal co mpeti tors. We will in vo lve th e Social P"lrtn e rs in can be achi eve d ;
•
Cl
d ialoguc as to how best this
J\ unifi ed nati o nal syste m (or Ih c cc rtifi eati o n of
voca ti o nal trainin g whic h will unde rpin training qua lity and improve train ee e mpl oya bilit y wi ll be crea ted: •
Progress will be mad c IOwards ;1 national go~lI o f maki ng an o ffer of qu;lIit y voca ti o nal training 10 yo un g new e ntrant s 10 th e labour nwrkcl. as a positi vc alt ernali vc to un e mploym e nt in th e co nt ex t of th c EU You th Stilrt Initi ati ve.
Thc Mini stc r for E nt c rp ri se and Employmcnt will initiat e a maj o r publ ic cl eb:ttc o n Ih c Whit e Papc r"s pro posa ls, whi ch will lead 10 th e se llin g Li p o f a Natiolwl T ra ining Ce rti ficat ion Board. Wh e n thi s process is co mpl e ted. and th e NT C I3 IS establish ed . it will heco me o nc o f th e constitue nt
bodi es of th c Na ti ona l Educa ti on and Trainin g Ccrtifica ti o n Board. legislation for which will be introd uced by th e Minist e r for Educat io n during the lifeti me of the Gove rnm en t.
TAX REFORM 49.
Within the financ ia l p:uame tcrs o utlined , substantia l lax redu cti ons s hould be aV<lilable for cach of th e nex t three ye<l rs. The Gover nm e nt will accele rat e th e process o f tax re form, and will he gu ided by the following principles <lnd prio riti es: •
target in g lowe r paid wor ke rs and youn g new job e ntrant s. th rough a combination of measurcs aimed at takin g th e m out of th e tax net. and th c developm e nt of a reformcd system of PRSI co ntri b uti o ns and o th er measures;
•
widening th e standa rd rate tax band. with the aim o f e nsur in g that only those on higher inco mes wo uld pay tax at above th e st<l ndard rat e:
o
in creasin g personal all owances by sign ificantly morc than the ral e of inf1:1Iion:
•
th e standardisa ti on o f mortgage int cres t re li e f and vol untary hea lth premiu m re lie f will continue. Any savings wi ll be utili sed to expand the swncl a rd rat e tax band ;
:\1)
•
ra is in g th e exe mp ti o n thres ho ld fo r e mpl oyme nt ,md health lev ies:
•
e ns uring th at th e re will be no more tax <l mn es ti es:
•
continuing th e im p rove me nt s in th e co ll ec ti o n sys te m and stre ngt he ning th e Reve nu e Co mm issio ne rs' a udit capaci ty in th e fi ght aga ins t tax evas io n:
50.
•
e ns ur ing that th e stu dy on th e int eg ra ti o n o f th e tax and social we lfa re cod es will be co mplet ed a nd publi shed in 1995;
•
review ing th e eco no mi c e ffi cie ncy o f a ll tax ex pe nd itures in clud ing BES. Sec ti o n 35 an d Secti o n 23 and o th e rs;
•
e liminaiing th e iss ue o f an y ne w co ntrac ts fo r Secti o n ~4 le ndin g:
•
re fo rmin g th e I;I W relatin g to adm ini strati o n a nd regulatio n o f chariti es ;do ng th e lin es o f th e Coste ll o Re po rt.
It is proposed th at th e chan ges to th e in co me and ho use valu e thres ho lds in th e Res id en ti al Prope rt y Tax in th e 1994 Fin a nce Ae t wi ll be reve rse d in th e 1995 Bud ge t. Th e futur e o f th is ta x will be con sid ere d in th e co nt ex t o f the p ro fess io na l s tud y o n loca l G ove rnm e nt finan ci ng.
A STRATEGY FOR RENEWAL 5 1.
Rcfurm of the Ministers' and Secretaries' Act , 1924 In co-operati on Wi1h Ihe public se rvice. reform of th e
Mini sters' and Se cre tari es' Act. 1924 will be unde rtak e n, with a vie w 10 , i llfer fllia, th e st:1);lralio n of policy and e xecuti ve fun c ti o ns of D c p<lrlm c nls, and
cl early highlightin g all areas of direct Minist e rial accountabilit y in matters of policy and practice . so as 10 allow for th e de le gat ed ex ercise of powe r and respo nsibilit y. Within the agre ed bud getary all ocations for th eir O cpnftm cnt s under vari ous heads and sub-
hcads, Minist e rs will 11<1 \,c th c fr eedom to impl eme nt agre ed policy. with o llt requirin g further financial auth orizati on. Cuhinct Cnnlidcntialit)'
Th e principle of th e confidentialit y of cabinet di sc ussions. which is impol"lal1t in maintainin g collective respon sibilit y. will be maintain ed as th e nOrllwl rul e. Th e re laxation of absolut e confid e nti,lIil Y in ,dl cirClll11SlanCL!S will be put to the people by wa y of rc kre ndum at th e earli est possible 0 pp0l"lunit y. The Law Refo rm Co mmi ssi on will be asked to re port on th e circumstances in which the confid e ntialit y rul e sh o uld be relaxed in cases where th e publi c int e rest dt.'mands if. 53.
:I:.!
Go ve rnment Proce durL! Instru ction s we re la st updat ed in 1 9~3 . Th e ir purposL! is. of course. to r,lcilitat e the
efficie nt di spatch of bu sin ess. A rev ised editi o n. takin g ilccount of new d eve lo pm ent s. such as the pro posal s in th e Ethics in Public Office Bill which affect Minist ers. will be publi she d by Government. 54.
Lcgisl:.lli\'C Rcform
W c will proceed immediatel y with the E thi cs Bill, and Ih e E lee to nd Reform Bill. 55.
H:el"orlll of Ih c Office of Ihe AlIorne), Gcneml
I1 wil l be il priority o f the Government to rc-establi s h co nfide nce in th e Office o f th e Attorney General 10 ensure that th ere is no breakdown in future . Th e exa minati o n at present bcing carri ed o ut int o th e structure s of th e Attorney Ge neral 's orfice will be comp le ted as a matt er of urge ncy , and th e re port o f th e hi gh-leve l group ca rrying out Ihat examination will be publis hed withoul delay . On foot of that re port , th e Government wi ll insti lll te fundam e nt:ll changes in th e o pera tion of Ih e office. so as to mak e it a mo der n and full y effective branch of th e Government se r vice. Poo r str uctures and support se rvices wi ll be re medi ed . a nd mode rn inro rmati o n and man agement syste ms with a ppropriat e staffing provided. Measu res wi ll he introduced 10 impro ve th e efficie ncy of Ihe legisbti ve process, in cluding additi o na l draftin g :1:,
reso urces in Depa rtm e nt s and the AG's office, nnd th e co ntra ctin g o ut of s uch work, whe re appropriat e and feasibl e . Th e o ffi ce of the A ttorn ey Ge ne ral wi ll in futur e be a full -tim e position subj ect to th e requirement that th e A ll orney will be abl e to maintain hi s or he r statu s as a prilctising b;lITiste r. Wc will e xamine. in the cont ex t of th e rev iew o f th e Mini ste rs and Secretarie s' Act, th e feasibility of sp littin g th e two ro le s currently exe rcised by th e A ll o rn ey G ene ral - that of le gal advi se r to Ih e Government and Mini ste rs. and of upho lder of th e public interest in th e Co urt s o f j usti ce. 56.
Freedom of Information
Th ere is a cl ear need for grea te r openness and acco untabilit y in Irish life , to all ow mu ch better pub lic access to information in th e possession of Stat e De partme nts and Agencies. bot h about th e mse lves and th e workings o f th e Government and Admillis\ rati o n. We arc th erefo re committed to th e e nactm e nt of Free dom o f Information legislati o n, to cove r both centra l Governmen t and th e broad public sector, in 1995. mode ll ed on th e bes t pra ctice in other co untries. Th e le gislation will be prepared so as to e nsure that necessa ry e xe mption s ilre ke pt to a minimum. and it :1-1
wi ll co ntain a mechani sm for ind e pe nd c nt re view and appea ls.
It is proposed to rev iew ;lIle! updat e the Data Pro tection Ac t, inclucl ing close eX ;llnination of th e possibi lit y of ex te nd ing it to cover manual fil es .
Wc will exa min e th e poss ibility o f le gislatin g to e nabl e jo urnalis ts to pro tect the confid e ntiality o f th e ir so urces in ce rtain c ircum stan ces.
57 .
The Ollicial Secrets Ad Th e Official Secrets Ac t and a ll other s tatut o ry pro vis io ns wh ich rest ri ct access to information wi ll be reviewed o n a regul ar basis by th e Legis lati o n and Securit y Comlllillec o f th e HOll ses of th e Oi re;lcht as, in order to b rin g th e lll int o lin e with th e bes t int e nl.:lt iona l S\;lnda rds of pub li c info rm at io n provisio n. Th e Governmc nt wi ll act o n th e Co mmitt ec's Report s.
SS.
Ministerial P:.l)'
Th e salary fo r all me mbers o r th e new Governmen t. and for Minist e rs o f State. s h;JlI be th c sa lary applicable befo re impl e mc nt ati on of th c recc nt Rev iew Body award .
59.
Ministerial Tr:lI1sl)urt
A commill ee consis ting of th e Secretary fo r Public Service Management and Devel o pm e nt in th e Depa rtm e nt o f Fin;mce (Chairman). the Secre tari es of the D epartm e nt of Defc nce and the T ao isc ach . and two o th er ind epe nd e nt pe rso ns will conduct a full review o f a ll Mini ste rial transport. ha vin g regard to issues o f cos t and cos t effec ti veness , effici e ncy. securit y and fl ex ibilit y. The guid e lin es es tabli shed <IS n res ult of th e revi ew wil l be imp le mc nt cd and strictly adh ered to. 6().
Oirc:ll'htas Reform Th e measu res out lin ed below address th e lo ng- te rm need for funli ;llll e nlal refo rm o f th e Oireachlas to m~lke
it responsive 10 th e needs of a mod e rn d e moc rati c socie ty. ivlan y of o ur la ws arc based o n la ws passed in anothc r ce ntury fo r an o th er administ ration. Th e same can be said fo r man y o f our in stitution s and sys tcllls o f Publi c Administratio n. Nowhere is thi s more in evide nce tlwn in the Oircachlas, whi ch is large ly based o n th e Westm in ste r model. Further reforms of th e Oircilchtas mu st aim to mak e it an Oireachtas ge ared for th e 21 st ce ntury. T o :11;
ach ieve thi s, rdor m mu st be fun damenta l ;lIld radi cal. It must aim at :
n l.
o
makin g th e Oilil mo re e ffi cie nt and bu sin ess li ke:
o
e nhan cin g th e role o f me mbe rs as legislators:
o
ensuring th<1t th e va ri o lls organs o f S\:lte <1nci holders o f hig h office in th e S1<l te arc more answerabl e and accountabl e to the legislature :
o
makin g th e Executive full y accountabl e to the legislature; and
o
e nsurin g th;ll Oilil Ei realln ha s re al powe rs 10 investigat e matt e rs of se ri o us p ub lic concern.
111 purs uit o f th ese aim s, we propose to: o
Int roduce streamlin ed votin g procedures:
o
Introduce a system where Oilil bu sin ess ho urs will approxim:lIc to th e o rdin;uy wo rkin g ye ar ;
o
Pu blish a list of legi slati on pro mi sed to ass is t tht.: Ce ann Comhairl e and me mbe rs:
o
Provid e a proper ph ys ical env iro nm ent for Me mbe rs <1lld th e ir stall
o
Provide s uffici e nt rese arch and secreIarial swll to Me mbe rs on ;111 individual or Part y basis:
o
E nco Llrage Mini ste rs and Ministers of Stale to discLlss wit h me mbe rs whe re prac ti cable, throu gh th e Legislati o n Committ ees. ge ne ral proposals for
legislat io n prior to legis lati o n being approvcd and published by Government: •
G ive power to Ih e CO lllllli!le es to discuss and drafl proposa ls for legis lative changes a'nc! new legis lali o n for recomme ndation 10 Mini ste rs;
•
Introduce a new sys te m, whereby indi vidual members co uld seck leave 10 prepare legis lati o n for consideration:
•
Inlrod uce procedures to allow legislati ve commi!l ccs dealing wil h Bills 10 rece ivc s ubmissio ns ;lIld hear evidence fr om persons or o rganisa ti ons rega rding s uch Bills;
•
Ask th e COlllmitt ee o n Procedures and Privil eges 10 exa min e and repon o n the procedures and rcmedies required to ens ure Ihal the privilege afforded to members is ca refull y used at nil tim es, and Ihat th e rul es o f misconduct as thcy ap ply 10 a ny mislending of th e HOllse arc revised:
•
E nsu re that all appo int ees to hi gh o ffi ce in Ihe Sla te, e.g. th e AG, th e DPP, th e Comptro ll cr and AuLlilor Gcneral, the Governor o f th e Cent ral Bank, shall a!lend at the releva nt Dail Co mmitt ees, as approp riat e and s ubj ect 10 th e lega l constr;lints of their office:
•
Carry o ut a full and compre he nsive review of the Standin g Orders o f th e D:lil:
â&#x20AC;˘
Require Minis te rs to appcar befo re Co mrnill ees to discuss currc nt poli cie s and th eir il1l p lcJl1 ~ ntati u ll in th e ir Departm e nt. Mini ste rs may rcqu cs t Cl Co rnmill ec to co nve ne to allow th e m to e xpla in curre nt po licy, propose d po li cy, o r to initiat c a d e bat e on currc nt o r proposc d po li cies:
â&#x20AC;˘
Compl e te and publi sh th e Pri vil ege and Compellabilit y of Witn csses Bill. Followin g e nactm c nt o f the Bill , a Co mmitt ee o f In vestigation may be form ed to in vesti gate a matt c r o f se ri o us public con ce rn from tim c 10 tim c.
62.
Votcs for E mignmts Prov isio n will bc made to all o w for th e c lcc ti o n o f three me mbe rs of Se ,llla d l~i re'll1n by Iri s h c mi grant s.
63.
Committees Wc will es ta bli sh ,1 se parat e Oire achtas Commill ce o n E uro pe an A ffa irs. rvl E Ps will be e na b led to att e nd thi s CommilL cc . An imlll ed iate rearrange ment of th e size. fun cti o ns and rol e o f th c cx is tin g Dail Hnd Joint CO lllmitt ees wi ll be unde rtak e n. Ex isting cO lllmitt ees wi ll stand dow n fo r thi s pur pose. Th e s uccess ful fc atures o f th c cxi stin g sys tc m wi ll be maintain ed , wi th so me :m
enhanced powe r and fun ction s be ing conferred o n committ ees. 64.
Shltlltur.y Instrumcnts The re arc at present a variety o f exempt ions in th e Sta tut o ry In st rum e nts tlwt need 10 be pub li shed . All e xemptions , oth e r Ih<1I1 th ose affectin g sec urit y. will be abolished .
65.
AllllOintments tu Statc Uuards Government and Mini sterial appoi ntl11e nts to the Boards of State and public bodies will be publis hed in Iri s Oifigilli1.
60 .
Dishurscment of Natinnal Lottcry Fu nds
A re vi ew of th e strat egic o bj ec ti ves and Ihe proced ures for th e distribution and allocati o n of re so urce s ge neraleu by the Nationa l LOll ery will be carried Ollt by an int e r-Departm e ntal COlllllli ll ee with an inde pendent C hairpe rson. The Departm e nts represe nted wi ll be Finance, A rt s C ulture and th e Gaeltacht, Education, Socia l Welfare , and Hea lth. Th e DepHrll11 e nt of th e Environ mc nt will nl so be repre sc nted bec au se of the potential fo r coo rdinat ed targe ting o f recipi e nt s at loca l level. In ad diti o n 10 Ih e C hairpe rson , two ex te rnal inde pe ndent 路IH
members with releva nt expe rtise will be appointcd to the Review Group.
67.
Accessihilily of Sen'ices Wc int end to und ertak e wide inn ova ti on 10 improve physical access to informati on and ri ght s for both able-bodicd citizens and th osc with a disability, includin g: •
th e improvement of the env ironment in public bui ldings,
68.
•
beller sign-posting of se rvi ces,
•
staggcred or exte nded ope nin g hours,
•
comlll on loca ti on o f field offices (onc-stop shops). and rec iproca l case handlin g arra ngement s.
Citizens' Information In consultation with th e Nati o nal Social Services Bon rd and th e Direc tor of Co nsumer Affnirs , we wil l over haul th e faciliti es avai labl e fo r community informati on , bui lding on the nctwork already in ex istc nce in th e voluntary and statut ory sec tors. This will involve : Upgrading and co-ordina ting. rcgionally and loca ll y, ci tize ns· access to ri gh ts and entitl emc nt s: Improvemen t of th c rel at ionship bctween statut ory and voluntary agencies in this sector; ·11
â&#x20AC;˘
Ove rh auling and improv in g th e lan guage in legal tex ts to mak e th em more und erstandab le;
â&#x20AC;˘
T he improve ment of all forms in o ffi cial use in term s o f layo ut , language and ge neral clarity and ease o f use o f th e forms;
â&#x20AC;˘
Ove rhauling all systems to reduce anonymit y. and introducin g changes to include th e perso nali sa ti on o f com municati o ns, and req uirement s th at staff clearl y identify th emse lves in all transac ti ons with th e pub li c.
69.
Imprtwing the Publie Scrvice A n im po rt an t part of th e renewa l o f publi c con fid ence in th e system o f Government is th e introduct ion of refo rm in th e d eli ve ry o f publi c se rvices. Th e aim wi ll be to ac hi eve and demonstrat c va lu e for money, high stand ards o f service, efficic ncy. co urt esy and 'lccount abi lit y . A ce ntral objec ti ve will be to asse rt th e auth orit y of th e consum er/clie nt o f public se rvi ces.
70.
toe,.1 Empowcrment of I'eople Stru ctures and fundin g wi ll be pu t in place to return th e grea tes t amo unt o f opportuniti es to an effec ti ve and acco unt ab le loca l admin istration. Th e foll o wing specifi c meas ures arc proposed: The role of the Regional D evelopme nt Authorities will be ex panded to include th e preparat io n of
regional deve lop ment strategies to take account o f th e strength s and opportuniti es or eac h region as we ll as approp ri ate obj ecti ves ro r each region; â&#x20AC;˘
A Co mmi ss ion (as reco mme nded by th e l3arrin gton Report ) will be es tabli shed to ove rsee a phased programm e o f devo luti on and a wid enin g or the ro le or local gove rnm ent. D evo l ved fun cti ons wo uld obse rve th e prin ciple or subsidiarity;
â&#x20AC;˘
Th e L oca l A uth o rit y must become the roc us ror wo rkin g through loca l partn erships in vo lvin g local co mmunity-based groupings. volunt ary bod ies, th e pr iva te secto r, and pub li c agencies. A particu lar focus must be to co¡ordin ate th e efro rt s or ex istin g grou ps such as Co unt y Ente rpri se 130a rds. LEAD E R, and ADM Partn erships.
7'1.
Ad ministrati ve I)rocedurcs Ad Foll o wing co nsultati on with th e Soc ial Partn ers, we will publish an Admini strative Procedures Act , with th e aim o r sec urin g ma ximum co mplian ce with the tenets o f good public adm ini stra ti on. An Ad mini strati ve Proced ures Ac t will ves t in the O rfi cl;! or th e O mbudsman monit oring and reg ul atory run ct ions, and will in corpo rate requirements on: - minimum res ponse tim es to a citizen's case:
- Ih e leve l o f guid a nce: to be
gi\,~ n 10
11,,:
publi~;
- Ih e form in w hi c h d ec isio ns "re communi ca le:d. se llin g OUI: - Ih c b~sis o f Ih e decision: - Ih e righl o f appeal: - Ih c ri ght o f access to :111 re leva nl info rmal ion nn th e case;
- Ihc ri ghl o f a Ci lizen 10 confe r wilh Ih e o ffi cials mak in g Ih e deci sio n CQncc rnin g Ihal cilize n .
72.
The Oflice of the Ol1lbudsnl~n Legisla li o n wi ll be introd uced 10 cxte nd Ihe re mit o f Ih e Ombud sman . including Ih' Administrali ve Proced ures A c!. EX'; lllplionS I(llhe O mbudsma n's l1c jurisui cli o n in ex islin g la'" will reviewed. wi lh a e view 10 a maj o r eX lc nsion of Ih Ombudsman' s powers. T hi s wi ll cove r a wide ,-angc o f age ncies cSlab li shed sin ce 19SU. ,15 weil "S agc ncies to be CS labli she u in th e fulur e. I\ ddi li o nal reso urces will be prov id e u for I h cs.; las k s.
73.
The Cuurts Wc wi ll estab li s h th e comnlissio n o n th e ma nagem Cnl of th e Co urt s as an in depe\ld Cl1I and pe rm a ne nl body . wilh financial and man<1 gC\llCnl aUlonomy. T he Gove rnm e nt w ill rev ieW Ih~ p,-ov isio ns o f Ihe Co urt s
+1
and Co urts O ffi ce rs Bill 1<)<)4 to
e n s ur~
th ,lt nH.:asures
wi ll adt:qu<t tely ad dress the need to tackk th e ba ckl og of cases to be heard in all co urt s.
74.
Naliunal Bureau of Fraud Investigatiun W e wi ll es t<tb li sh a Nat ion,ti Bureau o f Fraud In vesti gati on and defin e it s area o f juri sd icti on in law. Th e O ffi ce will be stalled by a sn1<l1l profess ional staff, co nsistin g o f suitabl y qua lifi ed se ni or G<t rd ai or ex peri ence d publi c o ffi cials. and ex pert civilian s on co nt rac t as necessary. T he Office will : â&#x20AC;˘
In vesti ga te allegati ons o f se ri ous eo rpornt e or organis;lti onal fraud :
â&#x20AC;˘
Prosec ut e, wh ere necessa ry;
â&#x20AC;˘
Report fully to th e pu bli c in an npprop riat e way. it s findin gs and nc tions. Th e Direc to r will appear from tim e to tim e before releva nt Doii l Co mmitt ees.
75.
Nun-nationals Legislation Wc will acce lerat e th e proposed reform of th e nonnati o nals L egislati on. ha vin g regitrd to the Ma astri ch t Treaty, so as to prov id e co mprehensive leg islati on o n th e right s o f non-nnti onal s general ly. Th is legislati on
will include provision to place th e citi zensh ip and investl1l cnt procedure on an ope n and statut ory basis.
FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES 76.
Europe W e are commill cd to playing our full part in th e E uropean Union . W e se ek a Europe whose eve ry citi zc n has an eq ual pari to play , and which promo tes peacc and disa rmam ent both in E urope and abroad. W c SUppOrl th e princip le o f enlargcment of th e Union. W c SUppOrl policie s des igned to reduce the gap betwee n th e rich er ,lI1d poo rer regions, and aim ed at ensuring th at th e pe riph eral regions continu e to be nc fit from European economi c develop ment , particularly in tcrms of increased empl oy l1l ent.
77.
Wc will implcment th c lat est round o f Structural Funds with duc rega rd to th e need to nwxim ise sustainable and long- term em ployme nt as a result o f proj ec ts und ert ake n. W c wi ll also pl ace parli cul ar em phasis on proj ects th at enh ance th e quality o f life of our citize ns. T he impl ementati o n of th e Pl an and th e actual use of th e funding should be direct ed to th e areas of maximum be nefit in the poo rer regions such as Ireland .
b
in the conduct o f policy , a nd th e maximum degree of owners hip of policy by th e peop le. il2.
Our guid in g principles are: •
We will work fo r a peace ful world and E uropea n o rde r based o n int e rn a ti o nal co-ope rati o n, th e rule o r inte rnati o na l law. a nd active parti cipation in int e rnati o nal bodies. in parti cular th e UN, th e CSCE. a nd th e E uro pea n U ni o n.
•
We will suppo rt the sea rch fo r co ll ecti ve sec urity based o n th e UN C ha ri e r and th e prin cipl es o f th e CSCE.
•
Ire land is no t a member of th e West e rn E uropea n U ni o n. Observe r sta tus does no t imply th a t we wi ll beco me members, no r does it require us to lake pari in WEU decisions . We wi ll not become a me mbe r o f NATO.
•
Ire land wi ll pursue a policy focused o n th e peaceful se ttl e me nt o f di sput es, respect for human rights, di sa rm a me nt. peacekeeping and Third Wo rld deve lop me nt.
o
Wc wi ll work with lik e- minded me mbe rs o r th e Eu ropean U ni o n. a nd th e new me mbe rs, to stre ngth e n th e UN and UN peacekeep in g, and to deve lop th e CSCE as a pan-European sec urit y fo rum .
o
W e will wo rk for d isarmament , arms co ntrol, nucl ear non-proli fera tion . and a comprehensive nu clear test ban.
o
W e wi ll work for restrai nt in th e transrer o r co nven ti o nal weapo ns and fo r a Code of Co ndu ct for Co nvent io nal Arms Tran srers.
o
W e will suppo rt th e co nversio n o f nrm s industri es to ci vi lian purposes.
o
W e will pla y a full part in th e debat e on Comm on Foreign and Sec urit y Policy, whi ch will culminat e d uring Ircl;lnd 's Pres id ency or th e EU in 1996. The Whit e Pape r wi ll in form and encourage deba tc on all th c issues involved. W e wi ll pu t th e ou tcome of any rut ure nego tia ti on th at wo uld involve Ireland's participat ion in a com mon defence policy to the r eop le in a refe rendum . T hi s will ensun; that Ireland 's po licy o f military neutr;l lit y renw ins un changed. unl ess th e peo pl e th emse l ves decick o th erwi se.
83.
Irish Aid
W e will sustain th e co mmitm ent to th e developi ng worid se t o ut in th e I rish Aid strategy document. and will pursue th e priorities established by that document. o
In part icular. we wi ll in crease I re land 's orficial Overseas D eve lopm ent Aid (ODA) by 0.05% 路I!I
â&#x20AC;˘
each year , so as to mak e tead y progress to wards achi eving the U I goal o f 0.7% o f GNP. By 1997. we should be on a par wi th mos t o f our EU partn ers. â&#x20AC;˘
W e will expa nd th e scope o f acti vities o f th e A ge ncy fo r Perso nal Servi ce Overseas to in crease th e number of Irish people workin g in developi ng countri es. APSO currentl y has 11 00 voluntee rs ab road ; with in creased fundin g, and ba sed on assessment of nee ds and reso urces in th e developin g wo rl d, it co uld place 2,000 peopl e overseas by 1997.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL POLICY INITIATIVES 84.
Loe:!1 Service Ch:!rgcs Th c ncedto pro vid e fo r th e sati sfactory fundin g o f L ocal Governm ent is recognised. Th e G o vernm en t will imm ediatel y commi ss ion a pro fessional stud y to se" how a fair. equitable and reaso nable sys tem o f fundin g ca n he introduced with a view to pub lishin g a Whit c Paper o n th e subj ec t and see kin g to develop th e maximum deg ree o f conse nsus o n th e iss ue. It is recogni sed th at th ere is a strong fee ling o f in equit y ;Ibout se rvice charges by man y peopl e.
- As a sho rt tc rm measure. a nd in recogniti o n o f th e fa c t th at loca l charges a re seen by so me as d o ubl e ta xa ti o n. a Tax A ll owa nce for se rvice c harges pa id wi ll be g ra nt ed a t th l! sta nd a rd ra te up 10 a maximum o f ÂŁ150.00. T his will o nl y be ava il able to th ose wh o ca n sho w th cy have paid th e ir sc rvice c harges o n tim e . - Th c 1962 Sanitary Se rvi ces A ct will be am e nd ed to d e limit th e powe r o f local a uth o riti es to di sconn ec t dom esti c water suppl y for no n-paym e nt o f se rvice cha rges.
85 . Agriwllllrc The future o f o ur rural co mmuniti es d e pe nds cruci a ll y o n th e success o f o ur agric uhura l eco no my. Th e Gove rnm e nt is co mmilled to ma intaining th e maximum numbe r of fa mil y farm s. The stra tegic objec tive fo r th e industry mu st be to switch fr o m pro du ce r-d ri ve n comm od it y producti o n to co nsume rdrive n va lu ed-added products , with a hi g h e mpha sis o n quality and purity stallllanls . â&#x20AC;˘
Th e Government recog ni ses th e c ru cia l ro le that the family fa rm plays in Irish agric uhurc, a nd will see k to e nsure it s consolida tion a nd deve lopm e nt. In add iti o n. we will see k to d eve lop a h e rn a ti vc rural e nt e rprise to compl e me nt th e farming sec to r; !) ]
•
It is import ant that f'lrmc rs can plan busin css dcvelopm c nt in a stabl c cnvironment. Acco rdingl y. th c Govc rnm ent is committ ed to main tainin g the prcse nt basic tax syst cm in agriculturc du ly c nforced;
•
T o assist yo un g qualifi ed farm crs cS l"bli sh viabilit y. it is propose d to restore stoc k rc li ef for a limit ed pcri od after th c ir in st,tllation ;
•
Th e Govcrnm ent wi ll c nh ance rural development schcmes such as th c LEAD E R programm e and th e LI FE proj ccts in a foc used way:
•
Prcmi a pa yment s und er th c Co mm on A gri cultural Poli cy will bc cx pedit ed with th c aim o f ensurin g th at c ntitl cment s iss uc with in ('0 da ys. Th e G ovc rnment will cs tablish a formal appeals proccdurc for dca lin g with co mplaints ari sin g fr om dccisio ns in individual cascs ;
•
Th e res ults o f th e work o f th e Appcal s Pan el for th e Disadvanta ged Area Sc heme on extension and reclass ificati on will be pursucd wit h th e EU Commiss ion:
•
Th c Governm c nt is committ cd to ass istin g famil y farm pi g p roduce rs. In co njull cti on with th e E U Co mmi ss ion meas ures wi ll be pursued aim ed at ensuring compc titi ve fe cd cos ts across Europe.
tl6.
Foud Induslry The Gove rnlll ent is cOllllllitt ed to th e illl pkm entati on o f a strategic plan to Ill ax illli se elllpl oyment in th e food process in g industry through th e prOlll o ti on o f hi gh qualit y prouucts and th e id entifi cat iun o f new Illarket opportuniti es through th e exi sting St ate a g~ nci es ,
in particular An Bord Bia.
Th e EU A nim al ;md Plant Health lirectives will be revi ewed to prot ect o ur prese nt statu s, and in recog nitiun o f our illl portance as an iso lati o n unit and poo l o f disea se- free stock in th e event o f se ri ous outbreak s o f anilll al or pl ant di s.:ase on th e co ntin ent.
87.
Occupicrs liahilily I n order to ensure public access to land th e O cc upiers Liabi lit y Bi ll now before th e O,lil will be rev iewed in th e co nt ext o f furth er careful examinat iu n o f th e legal and co nstituti onal position as it rdat es to Illin o rs.
tl!-i .
Marinc I{csnurccs Th e G o vernlll ent will pursue an int egrat cd approa ch to th e pro tecti on and deve loplll c nt o f Illarin e reso urces, includin g th e expansion o f th .:: fi shin g, shipping, leisure and touri sm indu stri es. Th e G o vernlllent will be parti cularl y mindful to pro tect Ireland' s uniqu e Illaritime cnvironlll cnt and inland w::l1 ers.
T he Government will co ntinu e to pursue an eq uit able share of th e EU Fish Quota -
based o n
o ur geograp hi ca l positio n rather th an our histori ca l record; o
Str ict conse rva ti on and reso urce manage ment meas ures wi ll be introduce d for in-shore areas. Th ese wi ll in clud e an int egrat ed approac h to th e ex pl oitati on o f in -s hore reso urces by all sec tors fi shin g. aq uac ultun: . and to urism;
â&#x20AC;˘
W c will improve working conu i ti ons and sa fety by redu cing th e age o f o ff- shore and in-shore fl ee ts:
o
W c will see k EU suppo rt for a major marin e reso urces cc ntre which wo ul d co-o rdina te rcso urce protect ion. exp lora tio n, and research ;
â&#x20AC;˘
W e will devl! lo p and impl emcnt a targetcd coas t pro tecti on poli cy.
R9.
TUllrislll
Th l! po tential o f touri sm to creat c signifi ca nt eco nomic acti vit y is recog ni se d. It is proposed to con tinu e to deve lop o ur touri sm infrast ructure and to sustain th c environ mcnt al and cultural distin ctiveness which are th e ba ses o f our exis tin g in dust ry. W e will take meas urcs to add ress th e proh lem o f seaso nalit y. initi all y at kcy loca ti ons by:o
13rondening th e scope o f to urism promot ion to in clu de (a nd prov ide for) domesti c tourism. spo rt s,
co nventi ons. shoppin g. celebrat ion and o th er o ff peak hi gh-spend visit s: •
D eve loping nil yea r round touri sm products in cludin g a N ati onal Conventi on Ce ntre:
•
Co nce ntratin g state expenditure on measures to ext end the touri sm seaso n;
•
See k maximum additi onalit y fo r ex penditure on tourism faciliti es by see kin g o pportuniti es for seco ndary use by communiti es, busin ess and educati onal in stituti ons;
•
Initiate j oint mark eting and touri sm promo ti on with th e North ern Ircland T ouri st Board for key products such as golf. herit age. water spo rt s etc:
•
Integ rat e to urism pro moti on with th e markc tin g o f o th er di stincti ve ly Iri sh products in clud ing food, music, cin ema. craft s and clo thin g;
•
Inco rporat e th c protecti on o f th e basic touri sm reso urces, (scen ery , monum ents etc) into a Nati onal Land U se Poli cy as a key measure to help to stabili se rural populati ons and th eir eco nomi es and lifestyles.
TI-IE ENVIR ON MENT 90.
Th e Government recogni ses th e imporl ance o f pro tectin g o ur environm ent no t ju st for th e bcncfit o f
future ge ne rat io ns b ut as a vit a l so urce o f co mpa rative advantage for Iri sh industry. Th is adva nt age was most rece ntl y hi ghlig ht ed by th e C ullit o n/Mo rian y Rc port s a nd mu st now beco me a key foc us o r a ll Govc rnnH; nt po li cy. T o this e nd wc a re commill ed to int cg rati ng e nviro nme ntal p ro tec ti o n co nsid c rati o ns in to a ll po li cy areas and a ll le vels o r Gove rnm c nt. W e a re com mill ed to bo th th e " prcca ut io n:lIY' a nd th c " po llut e r pa ys" p rin cip les . In the a rca o r waste po li cy wc full y subsc ribe to the hi e rarc hy or first avo idin g. th c n minimisin g, recyc lin g a nd sare ly di spos ing o r wa ste . In o rde r 10 impl e men t th e above com mitm e nt s m:ljo r in stituti o nal re ro rm a nd po li cy a nd legisla ti ve chan ges wi ll havc to ta ke pla cc. <)1.
Am o ng th e mcasures whi c h wc now spec iri ca ll y co mmit o urse lves to arc: â&#x20AC;˘
T he pn; parat io n o f a Nationa l S ustainab le D e ve lo pm c nt Stra tegy. This strat cgy will add rcss a ll a reas or Gove rnm c nt po li cy whi c h impact o n th e e n viro nm e nt "nu wi ll co nt a in de tai led targe ts and Cl commitm ent to ,1 n annual rev iew;
â&#x20AC;˘
A ca bin c t su b-comm ill cc wi ll bc set up to ro rmul a tc and drivc th e str:lI cgy ;
•
Wo r kin g towa rds a ne w se t o f indi cators o f sustainab lc eco no mic d eve lop me nt which wi ll take account o f e nviro nm e nt a l a nd soc ial fac to rs. Th ese indi ca to rs will be used alongside th e ex istin g meas ures of eco no mi c activit y s uc h as GDP e tc.:
•
The publi c sec to r will lead th e way in demons tra tin g bes t e nviron me nt a l ma nageme nt practice . This will in clud e for mulatin g e nviro nm e nt a l m a nage me nt plan s in corpora ting was te minimi sa ti o n, green purc hasin g and recyclin g policies.
92 .
Th e fra me wo rk was te legislation will be pub lished at a n ea rl y date. This legis lation provides o nl y a bas is for actio n. The Government wi ll implem e nt th e fo ll owi ng meas ures in re la ti o n to waste ma nage me nt : •
C1cancr Pruduc1ion: A programme o f gra nt support fo r th e devel opmen t o f " user fri e ndl y"· e nviro nm e nt a l ma n,\ge me nt sys te ms in th e SM E (s ma ll a nd medium e nt e rpri ses) se ct o r will be imp leme nted. Th ese syste ms wi ll la y partic ular e m p h,\sis on waste redu ction;
•
T uxics Rcleasc hn'cnlor)': Wc will se t u p a n annua l reporting mechanism of haza rdo us e miss io ns (so li d. li quid a nd gaseo us) to the e nvironm e nt by co mpani es ove r a ce rt ai n size whi ch will faci lit ate be ll e r pl a nnin g and co ntrol of
haza rdous wastes and be ll er inform ation to th e pub lic: â&#x20AC;˘
W e will bring forward a progra mm e to repla ce existing inci nerators fo r th e disposa l o f clinica l and hosp ita l waste wi th new non inci nerati on t.:chn ologies ;
â&#x20AC;˘
Recycling: If th e current proposal s for a pr iva te seC lor led nati ona l recyc ling sc heme are no t successful we will introd uce incenti ves/charges which wi ll fac ilit ate th e emergence o f a viable recycling in d ustry. W e are co mmill ed to supportin g and enh anci ng th e role o f local auth orities in the area o f waste co llec ti on, segrega ti on and recycling;
â&#x20AC;˘
Water qualit y: T he quality o f many o f our
import an t la kes and ri ve rs continues to de teri orate beca use o f polluti on from agri cultural and dom esti c wast e. W e are co mmitted to tack lin g all so urces o f polluti o n o f th ese import ant natur;l l reso urces.
93.
W e recogni se th e economic as well as the envi ronmental case for energy co nse rvati on. W e beli eve that progress mu st be made in thi s area th ro ugh a co mbinati on of incenti ves and charges. T o th is c nd we wi ll :
o
Co ntribut e to th c prepa rati on o f a pa n-E uropca n taxa ti on poli cy on ca rbon and fossil fu el input s. A discuss ion paper will be produced;
o
Im plement a nati onal energy conse rvati on progra ml11 c for loca l authority housi ng and th c homcs o f th ose li vin g on low in co mcs . T hi s prog ra mm c will run ove r fiv e yea rs;
â&#x20AC;˘
Pro vide adv ice and support for improve d energy use in business, in clu din g an exa minati on o r
cx tendin g th c I3ES Schemc to th ose co mpan ies which wo uld in stall energy-sav in g tec hn ologies; o
Strengthen th e poli cy- makin g fun ction o f th e D epa rtm cnt of Ene rgy in order to ovcrsee a cu herent nati o nal cncrgy po li cy gu idin g th c activiti es o f th e State energy utiliti es -
ES B,
BGE, BnM , and I NPC; 41)
Se t targe ts fo r elec tri cit y ge nerati on from rencwab le so urces and removc ;ln y remainin g obstacl es sllch as th e lack o f proper pricin g and adcqua tc in ce nti ves to th eir int cg rati o n with th e nationa l gri d .
94.
Progress has bec n made in recen t years in improving our planni ng laws. H oweve r some gaps rcmain . These rclate particu larly to co-o rdin ati on and impl ement ati u n o f planning policy and lcgislati on.
•
W c will review th e impl emental ion o f p l:m nin g pulicy and legisl'lli on wit h a view
10
rai sing ove rall
stanuards in e:Je h plannin g aU lh oril y: •
A Nat ional Land Use Policy Plan will be uraw n up to provide guidelin es for bOlh nati onal poli cy decisi ons and p lannin g auth orit ies in relat ion
10
loca tion o f agri cultural. industrial. forestry. :lquaculturc. and touri sm deve lopment s; •
W e will impro ve Ih e operalion o f current pl annin g con trols and if necessary amend th <.: m in relati on to th e pro tec ti on o f hi gh qua lil y i:Jndsca pes es pec ia ll y in touri st/ame nit y areas;
•
W c will improve public access to environm enl al informal ion. I n pa rti cul ar th e present pracl ice in rel:1li on
10
An Bord Plea n:i la and th e EPA will be
changed to all ow fo r th e publica tion of in spectors repo rl s and th e ba sis u f decisions; •
W e wi ll introd uce an appea ls sys tem again st a dec ision by an y public :1l11h oril y
10
refu s" access to
<.: n vi ron me nt aI in fo rma I ion.
<)5.
Th e sucCess of th e Dub lin T ransport Initi ative h:1 S shown th e bend it o f traffic manageme nt as opposed to respo nding to in creased demand for road spa ce by co ntinued cos tl y in ves tm ent.
lill
â&#x20AC;˘
W e wi ll appo int an Implcmentati on Group to ensure th at th e progress beg un by th e DTI
IS
brought to fruiti o n. 96.
Wc will prov id e addi tional reso urces to upgradc amI adequa tc ly maintain cou nt y ro"d s.
97.
W e will im prove fin ancia l suppo rt s for resea rch o n th e environm ent. In parti cular we wi ll prov id e th e necessa ry reso urccs to ensure thnt th e E PA th ro ugh it s rol e in repo rting th e stat e o f our environm ent achi eves it s potential as a power ful and effec ti ve wa tchd og for th e environmc nt.
9' .
Wc will introd uce legislati on to co ntrol wa nd ering horses in urban areas.
99.
T he Irish Sea and Sellalicld Sell a field poses a se ri ous and continuin g threa t to th e he.llth and sa fcty o f Irish peo pl e. But it is not th e onl y such ha za rd -
th e ever-increas in g traffi c on th e Iri sh
Sea. and th e number o f age in g nu clea r rcac tors on th e wes t coast o f Brit ain and Europe , acid to th e threa t. Th e Govern ment will take th e fu ll owing ac ti on in re lati on to Se ll afi eld: â&#x20AC;˘
W e will sec k a reassessment o f legal op ini on on th e poss ibilitie s o f taking a co urt case ove r Se ll afi elcl; GI
o
We will see k an amendment and upd atin g of th e EU RATOM Trea ti es to take accoun t o f th e conce rns o f non-nuclear juri sdictions sharing land or maritim e bo rd ers with co untri es ope rating nu clea r powe r and rei rocessin g plant s. to include stringent regulati ons fo r th e decommissionin g of nucl ea r faciliti es; and a prohi bitio n on underground nu clea r dumps such as th e one current ly bein g proposed by NIREX in Cumbri a, takin g int o accoun t tin: po tent ia l cont amin ation o f ground wat er and marin e reso urces;
o
With regard to th e THORP reprocess ing fac ility at Se ll afield , wc wi ll mak e full use o f th e Pari s Convent ion to req ues t arbitration of a dispute betwee n ourse lves and th e U nit ed Kingdom;
o
W e com lllit o urse lves to exertin g dipl ol11 ati c press ure on co untri es which ha ve signed, or are co nt emplatin g signin g, reprocessi ng agree ment s with th e THORP fac ilit y;
o
W e are committ ed to see k th e es tab li shm ent o f an int er-G ove rnm ent al Confere nce o f th e Irish Sea , whose structures, term s o f reference. and de liberations will be lodged with the U nit ed N ati ons. Th e purpose o f thi s body will be to highli ght th e da ngers th at aITect th e Irish Sea. and to draw up bindin g rules and co nventi ons to cover all traffic, install ati ons, discharges, and efflu ent. T he aim of th e Government will be to persuade all
fi1
neighbouring Governments, throu gh th e auspices o f th e European Union, to participat e in this Co nference. •
I n view o f th e fact th at th e Nuclear Nonproliferati on Trea ty comes up for rev iew in 1995. we will bc see kin g a five-yea rl y n;vicw o f the Treaty and a Iwlt to th e prod ucti on o f fi ss ile mat erial s.
EDUCATION 100.
We are committed to a high quality ed ucati on system which is democra tically managed and publicly acco untabl e, to which each perso n has cqu:11 access, and which enab les people to return to ed uca ti on at various stages of th eir li ves. Among our priorities are: •
th e co mpleti on and ea rl y publi cation u f th e Whit e Paper on Educa ti o n and th e introd ucti on o f subsequent legis lat ion;
•
An exam in ation o f th e use of ed uca ti onal buildings with particular refere nce to th eir reten ti on in ed ucati onal use ;
•
Furthcr expa nsion o f pre-schoo l fac iliti es, with th e ultim ate ai m o f an int egrated professional national sys tem li nked to th e prim ary schoo l sys tem:
•
Si gnifi can t reducti ons in class sizes in primary sc hools, with a special cmphasis on areas of d isa d va n t age;
•
Increas in g access to rcmcdial , psycho logical. and H ome Sc hoo l links services ;
•
Ex pansion o f remedial 'lIld carc:er guidan ce se rvice at seco nd level:
•
I ncreased cap it ati on gran ts for primary schoo ls with a special empha sis on schoo ls which includ e pupil s fr om disadvanta ged bac kgrounds:
•
Schoo ls to be fa cilit atcd in th e ongoin g tes tin g o f all pupil s for d iagnostic and remed ial pu rposes :
•
A commitm ent to th e prov ision of ongoing insc rvice edu ca ti on for teachers:
•
Support for multi-denom ina ti o nal schools and Gael-scoil c;lIln il , includin g th e ear ly rccogniti o n o f new schoo ls;
•
Introducti on o f new seco nd-l evel curri cul a at prese nt bein g dev ised by th e N CCA , in clu din g adequat e provision o f teac her in -se rvi cc training;
•
W orking towa rds th e deve lopm ent o f an elemcnt of schoo l-based asscssment in Juni o r and L cav ing Ce rtificat e exa min ati ons:
•
Enco urage ment o f fee-pay in g sc hoo ls to ent er th e free educa ti on sys tem;
•
G ranting spec ial co nsiderat ion to th e needs o f sc hoo ls enrollin g children wi th handi ca ps or severe le:un i ng di ffi cult ies;
•
W orking towa rd s the int egrati on o f targe ted edu ca ti onal se rvices -
eg Y outhreac h. VTOS.
Second- leve l. PLCs; •
Pil o t initi ati ves to add ress th e prob lems o f tru ancy and ea rly drop-o ut ;
•
Ad equate prov isio n for th e es tab li shm ent and mai nt enance o f schoo l-book loa n schemes at prima ry and seco ndary leve l for di sadva nt aged pupils;
•
T he investment o f spec ial reso urces in ad ult li teracy ami adu lt educa ti on sc hemes:
•
A n exa min ati on of th e needs and ab iliti es o f all children from disadvantaged backgrounds to enco ura ge and faci litat e th ei r co ntinu ed parti cipati on in educati on;
•
New support mec hanisms to in crease pa rti cipati o n by 3rd k ve l stud ent s fro m low- in co me backgrounds. including the abo lit ion o f th ird- level fees. a co mp rehensive reform o f th e H igher Ed uca ti onal G rant s Sc heme, th e introdu cti on o f support for stud ents on post- leav ing Ce rtifica te Co urses, and an in crease in the number o f th ird leve l p laces;
•
A co mmitm c nt to proccc d wi th th e propose d nc w Regional T echni ca l Co ll egcs. In th e lifetime of thi s Governm ent wc will deve lop an urban co ll ege o n th c cx isting ca m pus in Dun L aog hll irc. W e will establish th e Tipperary Rural Bu sin css D evc lop ment In stitut c. W e will co nso li da tc and devc lop the educati onal programm e in Castlcbar:
•
T he establi shm c nt o f a co mprehensive welfare se rvi cc for tcac hc rs:
•
Th e conclusio n o f negoti ati ons on opti onal retircmcnt for tcachcrs andth c cxpansion o f j obsharin g schemes;
•
L egislati on to reg ulatc pri va te educa ti on to cnsure proper ed uca ti onal standa rds, consum er pro tec tion and empl oyee ri ght s;
•
Th e de ve lopm cnt o f th e Stay Safe programm e on a national bas is:
•
Th e establishm ent o f ,I programm c on Sex ualit y and Relati onships by all sc hoo ls at first and seco nd le ve l;
•
Implement ati on o f th e C ivic. Soc i,li and Politica l Studies Prog ramm c in all pos t-prim ary sc hoo ls fr om Sept ember 1996;
•
lili
Th e prom o ti on o f gender equit y with parti cul ar refe rence to curri culum and ca ree r choice:
o
Increased fundin g for th e Na ti onal Parent s Co un cil s ( Prim ary and pos t-Primary) for admini stration and paren t train ing for part icipati on in Boards o f M anage ment.
HEALTH AND WELFARE 101.
T he H ea lth Stra tegy pub li shed in Apr il 1994 provides for th e first tim e a ba sis for th e future plannin g and deve lopm ent of the hea lth se rvices. It lays emph as is on equit y and qu alit y and und erlin es th e necessi ty to ensure th at the health se rvices deli ver both bell er hea lth for th e peo ple o f our co untry as well as makin g erficient use o f reso urces. We end orse th e H ea lth Strategy as th e bas is for thi s Governm ent 路s programm e in th e hea lth area .
102.
U nd er the Strategy wc will brin g forward the foll owing legislati on: o
L egislation to im prove th e acco unt ab ilit y o f H ea lth Boa rds; L egislati on to faci lit ate th e creati on o f new hea lth boa rd structures pa rti cul ar ly to re-o rgani se and reform se rvices in th e Eastern H ea lth Board area:
'" IDJ.
L egislation 10 re-orga ni se the VH I.
We will cont inue th e progress o f th e past two yea rs in reducing waiting li sts for a range o f surgica l G7
proccd ures by rc peatin g th e W aitin g Li st Initiat i ve in th e co min g YCilrs o f thi s programm c. 104.
Mu ch progress h<l S becn madc in improving se r vices fu r th ose with a ment:1i Iwndi cap in th c past two yea rs. W e arc commi tt ed to buildin g on th cse impro ve mcnt s in futurc yea rs, t o elimin ate wai tin g li sts and to ma ximi sc th e qualit y of life and ri ght o f participati on or eve ry citi zen with a mental handi C<lp.
105.
Th ere is an urge nt necd for wide ranging improve ment s in bo th adu lt and child dcntal scrvices. W c are co mmill ed to th e full impl ementati o n ovcr four yc ars of th c D c nlal Acti on Plan.
IUn.
It is now a mattcr o f urge ncy that th e iss uc o f mcdi ca l
stallin g is addrcsscd. W c will se t up imm cd iat c di sc uss ions with th c rclevan t orga ni sati ons to consider th e Ti ern ey Report and it s reco mm cndati ons. 107.
We will publi sh a pl an for th e deve lopment o f hea llh se rviccs ror women. W c will expa nd on a pha sed bas is th c Mat cr Pil o t Brcas t Sc ree nin g Programm c ror at ri sk womcn to cove r th e whole co untry. In addit ion wc wi ll conti nu e to devel op ce ntres of cxce ll encc for th e dia gnos is ;l ncl trca tm ent o f wom en with breast ca nce r.
108.
In lin e with th e H ealth Strat egy wc will con tinu e to
expa nd family plannin g se rvi ces deli vered by bo th
ge nc ral practiti oners and famil y plannin g clini cs. I n nddition we wi ll ex pand prese nt medica l card entitlement s to includ e I UCD s and diap hragms.
10Y.
W e will move to co nclude nego ti ations wi th the I rish M cdica l Orga ni sa ti o n on
a new sc hemc fo r childh ood
immuni satio n. W c endorsc th e targc ts se t out in th e I-I ea hh Strntegy in thi s rega rd .
11 0.
Child Care W e arc co mmill ed to th e rapid implemcnt at ion o f th e provisions o f th e C hild Care Act. Thi s wi ll rcq uire reso urces, training and staff. W c wi ll appo int a Mini ster o f State to speci fi ca ll y co-ordinate and oversec th e implcm cntati on o f th e C hild ca rc A ct tak in g responsibi lit y for th e young homeless and yo un g o ffend ers. W e will es tab li sh a Cab in et sub-co mmill cc to coordi nat e th c prov ision o f se rvices for th e ca rc. pro tcc tion and nurturing o f ch ildren. W e wi ll upda te th e law on th c guardian ship o f childrcn. Wc will enact a Ju vc nile Ju sti ce Bill to update th c law dealin g with yo ung o ffenders and extc ndth e use of the Juvenile Liaison Schemc. We wi ll assess th e need 10 up-dat e o th er arca s o f law affectin g th e wel fare o f
chil dren, in clu din g adop tion and child se xua l abuse.
W e wil l in vo lve teac hers, pa rent s, yo uth workers illld th ose who G,re fo r th e yo un g ho meless in a programme to prevent and pre -e mpt in vo l ve ment in crime and to ensure th e effec ti ve rehabilitati o n o f offend ers. I I I.
YOllllg People We will prepare a Y outh Se rvice A ct to provide a statut ory basis fo r deve loping yo uth work in Ireland.
11 2.
[ lllIal Participation W e rega rd the wo rk o f th e Co mmi ssio n for th e Sta tu s o f People with a Di sab ilit y as fundam enta ll y important. W e will take spec ifi c acti on to c nd di sc riminati o n and to ensure eq ual oppo rtunit y fo r participation by all our peopl e i n Iri sh life. o
Wh en th e Co mmi ss ion ha s report ed, we will introduce a D isabiliti es Act , to se t out th e ri ghts of persons wi th a di sa bilit y, toge th er with mC;1I1S o f redress for th ose whose ri gh ts arc deni ed:
o
In line with th c reco mm endati ons of th e Commission_ wc will pu t in place mechanism s for full and equal participation by eve ry citi ze n with a disability in every aspect of our eco nomic and soc ial life:
711
â&#x20AC;˘
W c will int roducc legislati on to pro tcc t pc rso ns fro III domestic violence
1'1'0 111
wh ateve r
so urc~s.
in sid e o r ollt sid e o f marri Clgc:
â&#x20AC;˘
W c arc co mmitt ed to providin g fair co mpc nsa ti on for wo men infected by th c h c p~titi s C virus fr om anti - D immun o-globulin.
11 3.
Towards a Hasic Income for C hildren We will work to wards a basic in co me sys tem for children by systcmati c impro vc mcnt s in C hild Benefit , and th c crcati on o f a C hild Benefit Suppl cmcnt payabl e to all soc ial welfare rec ipi cnt s and to low and middl e inco me famili es. The C hild Benefit Suppl ement will elimin ate somc o f th c worst pove rt y and un empl oy ment traps in th e tax and soc ial welfare systems.
It wi ll replace C hild Dcpcndent All owances currentl y pa Y:lbl e to Social W elfare rec ipi ent s :ll1d Family Inco mc Suppicm cnt which is currentl y pa yable to very low in comc familie s. 11 4.
Maintaining the Social Insurance System We arc cOl11millcd to th e maint c nance and dcvel opm cnt o f th e soc ial insurance sys tem. Subj ec t to 71
th e availabil it y o f reso urces. th e Governme nt wi ll be gu id ed by th e need for ac ti on in th e foll ow in g areas: •
W c will move tow,lrds an enh anced rat .: for disabilit y and un empl oy ment benefits. T he rate o f di sa bility and un em ploy ment be nefit will increase towards th e main rat e recomm cnded by th e Commiss ion on Soc ial W elfare:
•
W e will co mmiss ion th c ES RI to review th e minimum adeq uate income rates reco mm end ed by the Co mmi ssio n on Social Welfare. with a view to recomm endin g n(!w r,lt es in th e li ght o f im p rove ment s in social we lfare and o th er changes since th e report of th e Co mmi ss ion wa s pub li shed, and takin g into acco unt changes agreed in thi s Programm e fo r Governm ent ;
•
The meth od o f tax ing U nempl oy ment Benefit and Di s,lbilit y Ben efit will bl: re stru ctured. in ord er to improve th e pos iti on o f th ose most adverse ly affec ted, th ro ugh a combinati on o f ge neral in co me ta x im prove ment s and specifi c measures to targe t fa mil ies with children;
•
Th e furth er int egra ti on o f th e t,lX and social we l fare sys tems will co ntinue to be developed in th e co ntex t o f th e ongoin g work o f the Ex p.: rt W orking group on th e Integ rati on of Tax and Soc ial W elfare;
i'l.
•
W e will review the conditions [or part-time and se aso nal work to ensure th at th ese co ndit ions rdl ect chan ges in work patterns.
115.
Eq ualit y PaYlllents The Government is committed to payment o[ th e legall y determin ed entitl ement s o[ marri ed women to soc ial we lfare equalit y pa yments. •
All paym ents wi ll be mad e directl y to th e women co nce rn ed.
•
The (ktail s of se ttl ement s reac hed and payment s made wi ll be publi shed in summ ary form.
•
A special unit in the D epartment o f Soc ial W el[are will be set up. to ident i fy women entitl ed to such payment s and to ca lculat e th e amount o f each pa yment. This U nit wi ll
adv~rti se
in order to
attrac t app li ca ti ons [or pa yment from eli gibl e women . •
A bud ge t and tim e scale [or th e payment s will be se t out , ha ving rega rd to budge tary co nstraint s and th e costs in vo l ved. It is int ended to compl ete thi s process within [our yea rs.
HOUSING I Hi.
A [undam ent al ta sk for th e ncw Governm ent is to ensure th at eve ryo ne is provided with decent accom moda t ion.
-
----------------
•
Pu b li c ho using and social housi ng start s wi ll be increased to 7,OO() annua ll y. T hi s will also includ e p rov isio n for t he Pl an for Socia l H ousin g. including raising th e in come limit fo r eligibi lit y in soc ial housin g sc heme .;
•
A programme to com plete by I Y91:) th e provis ion o f toil et and bathroo m fac iliti es to th e many loca l auth ority houses with out such fac iliti es will be p ut in pl ace;
•
A new refurbi shm ent programm e fo r old er loca l authority ho using stock will be introdu ced ;
•
A stallllor il y-based Chart er for Tenant's Ri ght s will be cna cted, cove rin g tenure. repair. space provision. sanitary services and fire safe ty in th e private rent ed sec to r:
•
Th e Te nant Purchase Scheme wi ll be refo rm ed. to make it affo rd ab le for loca l auth ority tenant s to purch ase th eir ow n homes;
o
W e will ex tend tenant pa rti cipa tion sc hemes in th e mana ge ment of th eir housing es tates: All fo rms of soc ial hous in g ass istance wi ll be adm ini stered by th e local auth ori ty; We will introd uce legislation to abol ish gro und rents as a spec ifi c lien on residentia l property and convert th em im o norm al co ml1l ercial debt.
11 7.
I-tmnclcssllcss T he Government will pay particular attention to th e problem o f homelessness. W c will end eavour to provid e a n1l1ge o f ho using opti ons suit abl e to th e needs o f th ose wh o ,Ire homel ess. W e will in crease th e funding for the Capital Assistance Scheme for vo luntary hodi es. and we wil l provide fundin g for vo luntary gro ups providin g outr.::ach se rvices to homeless peo ple.
OJVORCE li S.
A referendum to remove th e Constituti onal ban on divorce and remarria ge, on the basis o f irretrievable breakdown, will be held durin g .1 995 . The Gove rnm ent and th e Parti es wi ll n:comm end a Ye s vote in th e Referendum .
In advance o f th e Referendum a co mprehensive paper will be publi shed indi cating th e tex t o f th e amendment proposed by Governmen t, and addressin g issues such as: - th e prot ec t ion of chi ldren;
- ll1xalion:
-soc ial wc lrarc; - inh eritan ce laws and pens ion entitl ement s.
A t th l: same tim e wc wi ll co mp lete th e Skps necessa ry to ensure Ihat : •
all dependent spouses and chi ld ren arc fully protected ;
•
th e Family M edi;tliun Service is slrength ened and expa nd ed:
•
Ih e Family
u url s are slrenglh ened.
CRIME AND JUSTICE 11 9.
The new Govern menl will press ; th e~ d with a prugramme o f reform uf th e Juslice sysle m. Spec ifi c m ~as urcs
•
Ih al wil l be included arc:
A C harier for Victim s o f C rim e which wi ll includ e immediate review o f Ih e Cr imin al Injuries Co mpensaliun sysl em and the es tabli shm enl uf a Reslituti on Fund
•
10
which offe nd ers co ntribu te:
A fundam enl al refo rm o f th e Co urt s sys lem . fr om District lO Supreme
u urt I ~vc l. and lh e
modernisa tion o f th e C riminal Ju sti ce cod.::
10
lak e
acco unl o f new meth ods o f inform ati on gal herin g. judicial skills, usc o f video and aud io 'eq uipm cnl , e tc. ;
•
The inlroducli on of a .Ju ve nil e .Jusli ce Bill, whi ch wi ll strea mlin e th e process of ea rl y int ervention and exa min e th e police and court proce dures tu be
71i
used when int ervi ewin g ju ve nil es. and will deal with th e need fo r suitabl e custodi al faci lit ies fo r yo ung o ffend ers. and th e in vo lvement o f parc nts in d ealing with orrenders, parti cul arl y repeat o ffend ers; o
Th e establi shm ent o f a Co mmunit y Dru gs T eam , whi ch wo uld in corporate co un se llin g, medi ca l treatm ent. and rehabilitative support se rvices;
o
Th e extension o f co mmunit y poli cing with G ardai based in communit y unit s workin g in cooperatio n with Gardaf li aiso n co mmill ees. th e loca l co mmunit y, and co mmunit y-based pro fess ional s and agencies; A n exa m inati on by th e L aw Refo rm Co mmiss io n o f k gislati on to all ow Co urt s to refuse ba il where th e co urt co nside rs it desirabl e to do so ; Examin ati on o f th e es tabli shm ent o f a Priso n Board to mana ge th e day-to-d ay running of pri so ns and th e es tabli shm ent o f a Paro le Board to ensure th at prisoners will be discharged from prison in an orderl y manner and no t on an ad hoc bas is. Th e proposed new pri so n regulati ons shall be refe rred to th e O'lil Co mmill ee on L egislati on and Securit y;
o
G rea ter use o f non-c ustodi al se nt ences. an expansion o f th e Ju venil e Li aison Se rvices. and the 77
endin g of impri so nm cnt where practi cab le for civil deh t and inabilit y 10 pay fin es; o Th e Ga rda Co mmi ssio ncr to beco me th e Acco untin g Offi ce r fur th e Ga rda Vo te and to be accou nt ab le for thi s expe nditure to th e Pub li c Acco unt s Co mmitt ee. OUI~ CULTUI~AL
120.
LIFE
An Ghacilgc Is cuid hi rn ach de shao l agus de chu ltur na hEirea nn f :In G hae il ge, a bh; mar th ea nga L1huch ais ag furmh o r {i r nluinlirc <"In uas go elli t1n cead seo ca il e. T he Irish language has an integ ra l and crea ti ve ro le to play in definin g I ri sh id entit y. We accep t that th e State must pl ay a lead in g role in ex panding th e degree o f bi linguali sm in I ri sh soc iety and. in parti cular. in achi cvin g grea ter usage u f Irish.
Ma
t:i th ar chun usaid na Gaeil ge a leat hn il. n; mor go mbra thfadh an poba l go gcuirf; f,i ilt e roimh ao n sao r:ina ch a bhea clh " g ia r rai dh gno a dhca namh leis an SIatch6 ras trf mh c,i n na Gc)ci igc. We wi ll co ntinu e to improve th e ava il ab ilit y o f State se rvices through Irish and bilin guall y. generall y and especiall y fo r th e peuple of th e Gac lt acht. A li st o f is
se rvices whi ch will be prov id ed thro ugh Irish o r bilin gua ll y by th e Sta te will be: dra wn up by all Depa rtm e nt s annuall y. Bo rd na Gaeilge will continu e with it s programmes of ac ti o n fo r th ese purposes, to be impl e me nt ed by Gove rnm e nt De partm e nt s a nd publi c secto r age ncies. We will se t up a Co mmi ss io n to re vi ew th e wo rk and effective ness of Iri sh Lan gua ge Organisat io ns. Th e stallin g of An Gum will be revi ewed by th e Managem e nt Services Unit of th e Department o f Fin ance, a nd th eir Re port will fo rm th e basis on whic h An G um will tra nsfer to th e De partment of Art s. C ulture a nu the GacJ tac hl. 12 1.
An Ghacllachl
Is sa G ha elta cht is m6 a lab hart a r an G ha eilge ma r ghn '\ th -th e'lIl ga phobail agus cn ithfenr iarrncht ai 3r ieith a dhcanamh chun i a chaomitnll agu s a fh o rbairt. Th e lin gui sti c, cultural. socinl , ph ys iC<ll a nd econo mi c de ve lo pm e nt o f th e Gae lt acht will be int e n -ifi ed. parti cul a rl y with th e aid o f EU Structural Fund s. 122.
The A rls
T he mo me ntum ac hieved in the cultural sector ove r th e past two yea rs will be con tinu ed. It is no w accepted that suppo rt a nd e nco ura ge me nt fo r th e
---
----
co nt emporary art s and the protecti on o f o ur natural and built heritage arc ce ntral issues o f social and eco nomi c significa nce.
Th e Three Y ea r Plan 1995- 1997 prepa red in co nsult ation be twee n th e A rt s Co un cil and th e D ept o f A rt s, C ulture and th e Gae lt ac ht wi ll be th e ba sis for
Cl
programm e of aC lion.
L egislati on to prov id e for a bui lding devel op ment programm e for th e Na tional Mu se um at Collin s Barra cks ove r an eight year per iod will be introdu ced. Wc wi ll int ensify efforts to ob tain EU fundin g for th e art s. with part icu lar
rde r ~ n ce
to A rt icle 128 on
C ulture in th e Maastri cht Tr~a t y. Loca l auth oriti es will be enco uraged to spend a percentage o f th eir bud ge ts fo r cap ital proj ect s on arti sti c cmbelli shm ent. A n art s dim ension will be incorpo rated int o every Gove rnm ent building project. Funding o f th e art s by loca l auth orit ies wi ll be on a plann ed basis. L ocal auth oriti es have alrea dy bee n requested to produ ce a cultural deve lopment plan. Th ese p lans will guid e prior iti es fu r arts fundin g for a number o f yea rs. Eac h loca l auth orit y will be enco urage d to appoint an A rt s Officer wit h requi sit e stall u rgan ised in an Art s D epartm ent.
Arts will be part o f overa ll job crea ti on strat cgy. Parti cul ar all cnti on will bc gi ve n to th e intro du cti on o f ta x and oth er ince nti ves in o rd er to expand cmpl oyment in the mu sic indu stry. Poli cy on th e deve lo pmcnt o f the cu ltural industri es will be th e res ponsibilit y of th e Minister for Art s. C ulturc and thc Gaeltacht. 12."\ .
Our Heritage We wi ll impro vc th e pro tec ti on for li sted buildings includin g placing th e sys tem o f li sted buildings on
a
statut ory basis and introducing in centives for proper upk eep and maint enance. We will co ntinu e wo rk on a full national ;lLIdit o f archaeo log ica l sit es. W e will undertak e a full nati ona l archit ectural audit. Co nsiderati on will be given to th e es tablishm ent o f an Inland Wat erwa ys Authori ty wh ich would have responsibilit y for effective No rth So uth arra nge ment s for th e managemen t o f all navi gabl e waterways in th e island. We will proceed with th e Lilley V;lIlcy National Park . W e wi ll co mpl ete the C ultural Q uart cr in Duhlin 路s T empl e
Ba r. 124.
Ollkc .. r Puhlic Works Th e Orrice o f Public W ork s will be res truclLlrcd on a phascd ba sis. This will invol ve th e separation o f it s principal functi ons ancl th e rcass ignm ent o f XI
responsibilit y for th ese fun cti ons to appropriat e departmen ts, i.c. T he D epartm ent o f Finan ce. the D epa rtm ent o f Agriculture and th e D epa rtm ent o f Art s, Culture and th e Gaelt ac ht. All th e statut ory powcrs o f both poli cy and impl ement ati on o f th c Mini ster for Finan ce relating to herita ge and cu ltural in stituti ons (ot her th an powe rs of a fi scal nature) will be tran sfcrred to th e Mini ster for Arts, Culture and th e Gaclt ac ht. Am endm cnt to th e H eritage Co un cil Bill 1994 will be in clud cd at Co mmitt ec Stage: o
statin g th at th e pol icy functi ons o f the Co mmi ssioners o f Publi c W orks under legislati on relating to th e herita ge, shall be performcd by th cm subj ect to th e general dircctions in writing o f th e Mini ster for Arts , Culture and th e Gae lta cht ;
o
enabling th e Minister to se t pri oriti es and targe ts for th e Co mmi ss io ners; and
o
requirin g the Co mmi ss ioners to prov ide relevant information:
o
enabling th c H erit age Co un cil to own land and buildi ngs.
125. Intcrprctati,'c Ccntrcs Thc future o f th c proposed Interprctative Ce ntres at Mu ll aghmore. Lugga la and th c 130ync Valley will be a matter for decisio n by th e incom in g Govcrnmcnt.
126. The Film Industry W c w ill co ntinu c to promotc th c devclopmcnt o f th e Film Industry in Ircland . Fi lm -making has a hi gh employ ment co nt ent and has had cnormo us downstream benefits for th e Arts gencrall y in I re land. •
Funding for An Bord Scan1l<linr rh e Iri sh Fi lm Board will cont inu e as agreed in th e Nati onal Plan ;
•
A Scree n Co mmi ss ion will be es tabli shed so as to maximi ze Ireland's attrac tivcness as a loca tion for fi Im ;
•
Reso urccs will also be providcd for Fi lm Training and th e developmcnt of fully accred it cd co urscs in Film at Third L eve l;
GI
The (kvc lop mcnt of a computcriscd archive sys tcm for film and for th c Nati onal Library , propcr ly ca talog ued and ind cxed will bc c nco ura ged.
127.
llrua(kasting
W e will publi sh a Grccn Paper on Broadcasting ea rl y in 1995. This G rcen Paper will address all Bruadcasting iss ucs includin g Transmission Rcq uiremen ts, Telcvision Progra mming St ruct urcs . CO Il11l1 c rcial Local Radio. C01l1 munit y Radi o and Tclcvision, and Edu catio nal Serviccs.
Subject to th e reso luti on of current lega l proceedings. th e Governm ent wi ll seek to allow co mpetiti on be twee n communit y television defl ec ti on systems and existing MMDS franchi se hold ers. Thi s will be faci litated by new techno log ical developments and will be in compliance with prope r frequ ency nwn<J gement and int ernati onal ob li gati ons. 128.
Tcilifis na Gacilgc G laca imfd leis an ri ac ht anas
ala an n chun se irbhfs
th eiliffse trf G hae ilge a bhun ll do phobal na Gaeil ge agus na Gaeltac ht a. W e are committ ed to th e es tab lishment of T eiliffs na Gaei lge as a third chann el with limit ed broa dcastin g hours. Th e ncw chann el could also be use d for oth er public se rvice prog ramming purposes whi ch C<1n no t be adequat ely cat ered for on th e ex istin g chann c ls distancc ed ucation , fo reign lan guage mat cri aL and O ircachlil s cove ra ge.
ABORTION INFORMATION 129.
I n conformit y with th e people's decision in th e Refere ndum in November 1992. th e Governm ent will bring in Icg isl<1t ion on abortion informati on as soon as
poss ible. I n tanciem with th e enactm ent o f thi s legislati on, th e Gove rnm ent will put in plact! resc:arc h. eci ucat io n and co un se llin g with th e obj ecti ve o f min imisin g th e circumstances in whi ch such high numbers o f wom en see k to have abortions. Th e Governm ent wi ll co ntinu e wo rk on th e co mp lex ethi ca l, leg,ll and medi cal prob lems o f th e substanti ve issue rai sed by th e " X" case.
I{EVIEW 130.
Thi s compre hensive Progra mm e will be reviewe d on
an mlllua l basis by. th e pa rti cipa ting Parti es wi th in th e Gove rnm ent. so as to ensure a ba lanced ancJ progressi ve impl ement ation of i ts provis io ns. A Steer in g Com mitt ee will be es tab li shed by th e Parti cs to monit o r and report on p rogress.
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78.
W e will continue to press ror th e devel opm ent or a U ni on industri al poli cy th at ca n control State aids in th e richer ce ntral regions o r th e U ni on as a vita l aspect o f regio nal deve lopm ent poli cy. Our ai m is to bring j obs to peopl e in Ireland rath er th an having Irish peop le mi gra ting to j obs at the ce ntre.
71).
Ireland is a party to th e Social Poli cy Agre ement aim cd at im ple mentation o r th e Socia l Clw rt er . and we fully support it s aim o f prov idin g empl oy ment , while prugressive ly improv in g th e conditi o ns of th ose at work and th e ri ght s of all Europea n citi ze ns. Th e Social Charter must becom e
it
rea lit y. It will
co ntribut e to a st rengthenin g and broa denin g or thc EU eq ualit y inw, which has bee n a va lu ab le in strument in th e struggle by Irish women for equal trea tm ent in all sph eres o f li re. 80.
W c will continu e to prom ote int crnati onal cooperation in fa vo ur o f eco log ica ll y sustainabl e developm ent.
8 1.
I)cacc and Co-upcralion A Whit e Paper on Foreign Poli cy will spe ll out th e principles th at underpin Ireland 's commitm ent to peace. sec urit y. and co-ope ratio n. It will also be a ce nt ral purpose or the White Paper to encourage debate about all aspects o f policy. mure tran sparency 路Ii