The Ideas Campaign - latest sample of ideas received since campaign launch
Agriculture and food
Our agricultural land is our greatest natural resource and the CAP Policy has resulted in vast tracts of land all over Ireland lying unused. At the same time we are importing and transporting vast quantities of fruit and vegetables to meet consumer needs. This logistical exercise is damaging the environment. Also, there is a shortage of food in the world contributing to death and malnutrition.
My idea is for the Government to facilitate putting this land to constructive use. They have the power to overcome some of the obstacles which have been imposed which has resulted in complete waste of our natural resource.
There is still huge potential in organic farming/food production. In line with general green policies we should be able to market Ireland as the Organic Capital of Europe if not the world. We have a very rich tradition and skill in small farming, market gardening, and food production which pre-dated the industrialization of farming and these skills will be lost if they are not rejuvenated.
For example small holdings produced sheep which spawned wool production; knitting skills. We have people who have knowledge/skills. Given access to the land there is the potential to develop vibrant small industries. There would be no shortage of investors, given the right environment.
Construction
Can we put our unemployed construction workers to build flood defences for our towns and cities and soak-aways and ditches for our farm land, housing and roads. Our water treatment systems are Victorian, the water distribution piping leaks more water than it delivers. Why not fix the systems now? These infrastructure projects would begin to pay for themselves immediately.
Construction
Government is presently investing in re-capitalising banks. My idea is for Government, rather than putting money into banks, directly purchasing the 80,000 housing units not sold.
Government pays builders at cost or below cost; Government re-sells houses to first time house buyers, at cost! First time house buyers obtain mortgage from banks on basis of cash returned by builders to pay off loans; it is imperative that funds paid by Government to builders can only be used to pay off debts to banks
Benefits:- puts cash back into economy - enables builders to pay off loans (at least something) - loans not paid off will be written off by banks and builders, so transparency in market of what is real and not real - capital goes back into the banks - capital then goes to first time house buyers - who pay government, which is then back to zero debt on this transaction - market is now back to equilibrium and can start anew - confidence at grass roots level gains huge boost
Construction
In relation to repairs and maintenance work required to houses of disabled and elderly persons, such work could be carried out by FÁS apprentices under supervision of FÁS trained instructors, especially for such persons who find it very difficult to meet the full cost of these essential repairs.
Also in relation to disabled persons and Essentials Repairs Grant Schemes as administered by local authorities, such schemes could be reviewed so that money allocated could be used more effectively and economically by introducing a scheme to be administered by local authority who would employ redundant construction workers on contract basis to help reduce the costs of essentials repair works to the homes of disabled and elderly persons in the county.
Construction
Why not create some engineering and construction jobs by having a private industry ‘company’ (not the OPW or any other state company due to the red tape it would generate!) to carry out surveying on the extensive old railway lines and bridges/canals/waterways, etc. that we have and turn them into cycle and walking paths for safe usage throughout the country ,hopefully, with a quick turnaround in the surveying and construction work and giving locals and tourists a safe walking and cycling network enticing more visitors to come to see Ireland.
E.g.: Old railway lines used for walking or cycling to Kinsale and West Cork would be a visitor attraction in itself especially if access from the cities was available. They could also be used by light vehicles for tours, etc.
Education
Instead of paying €50m per year to rent pre-fabs for schools, use this money to service interest on a loan of €500-700m to build schools instead.
This would drive construction jobs and use local materials (note that other capital programmes such as Metro will only benefit a small number of large firms and foreign manufacturers). It would also provide lasting benefits to children and Education.
Education
Instead of having an expensive private run crèche system we should look to build on the existing primary school infrastructure and cater for all children from 1 year old. This could be funded either by parents diverting their existing fees directly to the local school or trough the general taxation system.
I see a number of benefits. There is already a school eco system in place. They already have a high level of skill in this area. Allow parents to return to work. Create jobs. Allow for the better enforcement of standards. Ensure a standard early learning circular. Reduce the overall cost to the state by eliminating various supports.
Education
This idea relates to the rules for allowing unemployed people to return to third level education. Normally you have to be on social welfare for between 6 and 12 months to qualify for a back to education allowance. There was a recent decision to allow potential students to receive the back to education allowance immediately if they were made redundant.
This was a good decision as it allowed a great many people who were used to working and didn’t have a culture of collecting social welfare to quickly return to education, up-skill and hopefully be ready to return quickly to the work force when the upturn occurs. Unfortunately Social Welfare is adopting a very rigid view of the type of redundancy people have to have received; applicants have to have qualified for statutory redundancy etc.
So my proposal is that anyone who loses their job should immediately be supported and incentivised to return to education so that they can quickly retrain. The back to education allowance is the same as the social welfare benefits and the places are available in college so it should be largely cost neutral at worst and will probably save money if retrained people can go back into the work force more quickly.
* (This idea is very long and detailed and has had to be edited for space reasons).
Green business
Switch out the lights, some of them. Clearly it would require good PR spinning, but significant expenditure could be saved by turning off public lighting on one side of every street, motorway, etc between, say 1.00am and 2 hours before daybreak each day.
Green business
Tidal Energy- Ireland has the opportunity to become a world leader in wave/tidal energy. We need to accelerate the R&D now. Funds from the NDP roads programme should be diverted here now. Benefits: Immediate job creation, long term jobs in maintenance underpins our competitiveness with low cost energy into the future. Reduce our carbon footprint.
Innovation
I would urge the Government to set up an Innovation Development Team. By this I mean a group where people/small business can go (in absolute confidentiality, and recorded to ensure no intellectual theft) and discuss an idea/invention that they think has genuine practical application.
It should provide free patent searches and patent of ideas to ease the process as many people with good inventions don’t have the finances, particularly at the moment, to pay for these.
Once an idea is established as having potential the Development Team should facilitate the inventor bringing the idea to market by arranging an introduction to an already established Irish company in the same industry to create a new business. In exchange this business would be jointly owned (in differing percentages depending on input) by the inventor, the Government (in recognition of their input and facilitation) and the existing Irish company.
In my view this process would harness a vast potential of the inventive nation that is Ireland, invigorating the country with a positive attitude, while simultaneously providing indigenous business with the means to create jobs via alternative future revenue streams.
The more ideas that could be patented with global applications while creating jobs in Ireland the better. Ideas that come to market would also ultimately benefit the Irish Revenue with profits from a share of the company, increased VAT through the product life cycle, and through income tax on the jobs that are created (not to mention savings on less unemployment benefits paid out).
Innovation
My idea is for the Government to adjust the focus of their small business support. (1) Currently most Government Business support, both start-up and ongoing, is Employment oriented, i.e. to qualify for support the business must create and sustain jobs. I believe this is in contrast to the purpose of a business, which is to generate sustainable profitable cash flow.
The best advice for a new/ongoing business is to minimise their costs, a major chunk of which is generally employees. In contrast, the Enterprise Boards encourage new businesses to create jobs in order to qualify for support.
(2) Currently most Government Business support, both start-up and ongoing, is financially oriented, i.e. they give out grants to new businesses. I believe the Government focus should instead be on mentoring. Rather than giving grants to new businesses, this money should be placed in a “Mentoring” fund. This fund would be used to provide a Mentoring infrastructure to support new and small businesses. Mentors would be provided at all stages of the business from feasibility to maturity.
* (This idea is very long and detailed and has had to be edited for space reasons).
Innovation
Government official should visit colleges around the country and find out what ideas people have. There is a huge amount of creativity among students. They need to be advised and pointed in the right direction to maximise these ideas.
They might need to be put in touch with a marketing expert who will help promote their business and a Finance person who will give advice on how to fund it. In short, we need to utilise the skills that are out there but we need to find them and bring them together as suggested above.
Policy
Considering our dependence on imported energy - the long term solution will have to be nuclear energy. A firm policy stand must be taken to implement this technology - the building phase and operation will provide work and the use of this clean technology will provide the state’s energy needs - such as many other European Countries. Remember Ireland imports well over 80% of our energy needs- how long can this go on for?
Policy
Make IDA grants for people, premises, etc available throughout the country, not just in specific regions. As an employer, I can get grants if I move my business (which is a subsidiary of a US parent) to a different part of the country, but not if I want to stay in Dublin. Partly because of this, we have downsized significantly from the size of organization we were several years ago as more cost competitive economies win the jobs.
Transport
In 2007 sales of new cars were in the region of 150,000 units with a VRT take in the region of 1.6 Billion. Sales of new cars for 2009 are expected to be in the region of 50,000 units and it can be assumed that the VRT take would therefore be about 500 Million (or less if people are buying smaller or more economical cars due to the recession).
The government must now bring us a new budget which we all expect to be harsh, the loss of 500 Million in income is not large compared to the expected shortfall generally, it would be prudent to consider that there may not be a better time than now to drop VRT altogether. This would have several effects.
1) The motor industry in Ireland is in dire straits, dropping VRT would stimulate business in this important sector and possibly prevent a large number of job losses.
2) The reduction in the price of cars would be a big morale boost for the population possibly affecting their economic outlook in general.
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