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There are some aspects of the Irish State that work really well and there are some areas where we cannot seem to get it right, no matter how much money we throw at the area.
But let’s deal with the positives first. The new Eircode system where every property has an electronic-based location code that is instantly locatable by mobile phone is a brilliant innovation that works extremely well.
Similarly, the Central Statistics Office and Met Éireann seem, in any of my dealings with them, to be professional, highly responsive and competent
It was derided when it was first mooted but now, for any deliveries or directions, it’s the automatic response. Also, our education system at primary and secondary level ranks highly internationally.
Similarly, the Central Statistics Office and Met Éireann seem, in any of my dealings with them, to be professional, highly responsive and competent.
I don’t know how our spending on such bodies compares internationally but, in the greater scheme of Government spending, both bodies cost little and contribute significantly to society.
On the other hand, we have health, housing and childcare difficulties.
I cannot understand why care for the elderly is fully tax deductible but childcare has to be paid out of income
Our total spending on health per head is among the highest in the world, despite having a young population, and we are visibly not getting it right, although there are real improvements in some critical areas such as cancer survival rates.
Despite having a first-class medical training system, our reliance on foreign doctors is the second highest in the world after Israel, according to a recent survey by the Financial Times.
I cannot understand why care for the elderly is fully tax deductible but childcare has to be paid out of income that has been taxed at up to 55%.
With the present gaps between mortgage repayments and rent payments, we are forcing people to rent when we should be facilitating owner occupation
Meanwhile, blocks of apartments can be sold as a single unit to investment funds, rather than placing a legal obligation that they must be offered to individual owner occupiers first, even if at the same price.
With the present gaps between mortgage repayments and rent payments, we are forcing people to rent when we should be facilitating owner occupation.
Housing, health and childcare were clearly to the fore in the recent byelections – it is clear that policy failures exist in all three areas.
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