Summary of ideas submitted in the Policy category…

• Unemployed people should have to have to train at a new skill to qualify for dole
• Unemployed physiotherapists and occupational therapists should offer to work as volunteers in the disability sector.
• Upgrade social amenities and invest in national schemes such as national farms for agricultural exports.
• Use community employment schemes to do valuable research and teach young people.
• Use heat in domes and other areas to generate power through ‘district heating’ like that used in Denmark.
• Use IT in the HSE to reduce costs and modernize their records system. Move away from paper records to increase efficiency and speed.
• Use old shots of Government buildings with a voice over to report the news rather than sending out a camera crew everyday.
• Use the GPS address for each postal address as the post code
• Use trained unemployed people to accelerate the development of start-up businesses sponsored by the IDA. Each person should provide a limited number of hours per week.
• Use unemployed trained professionals to train apprentices in FAS-style programmes while they on the dole.
• Use video links for public sector meetings with people from around the country as it would be more efficient.
• Use vouchers instead of cash.
• Utilise existing bank deposits for the establishment of an enterprise assistance fund.
• Utilise the unemployed and supplement social welfare payments for work carried out.
• Utilise the unemployed to increase the Garda Reserve Force & release full time gardai from mundane duties.
• Utilise those in prison as a workforce.
• VAT should be relaxed for a period of three months for small businesses who are struggling. This could be done by deferring the requirement for a payment ubject to an interest charge equivalent to overdraft rates.
• Wage caps in the public and private sectors, earning potential should be performance related.
• Waive outstanding tax debts from small struggling businesses to ensure they stay in business.
• We need closer co-ordination between the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs (DSCFA), FAS and the local authorities. County Councils could specify the skill sets they require and FAS work with DSCFA to identify people on the live register possessing those skills.
• We need to re-assess the national childcare investment programme as people could be using it as a babysitting service while they sit at home unemployed.
• We need to set up a register of wills as many wills are not found etc.
• We should encourage more eco-friendly housing developments.
• Welcome immigrants to fill job positions.
• When a small company / self employed person creates a new role they are given an additional x percent of that persons salary back for each year of employment as a bonus payment in 4 years time.
• When buying land for roads, include a sub plot of land for wind turbines.
• With the existing Irish / English language resources in State supported organisations, provide an email service (one day turnaround) to proof signs before they are committed to production.
• Working pensions for ministers should cease and they should only receive pension upon retirement.