The Ideas Campaign - latest sample of ideas received since campaign launch
All-Ireland economy
The concept of an all-island economy is great, but the reality is different. My idea is that we need to rationalise some of the State agencies founded as a result of the Good Friday agreement. Tourism is an obvious case in point.
There are no fewer than three agencies promoting tourism for a very small country. This causes great hilarity abroad.
Tourism Ireland seems to be doing a great job marketing Ireland internationally and marketing it as an all-island destination. Yet Failte Ireland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board are effectively in competition with each other for the home market.
They’ll say otherwise, but you only have to listen to the ads to know that this is not the case. Merge the tourism bodies; ensure greater accountability for what they do and more creativity in how they use their marketing budgets.
Construction
My idea is that the ‘locals only’ planning rule that is in force in some counties be relaxed for a certain period. This would create building jobs and inject some badly needed cash into local economies.
Education
Secondary school pupils should be exposed to innovative and creative use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) through workshops which are interesting and enjoyable and which could spark an interest in technical/scientific subjects at third level.
These workshops could be supported by sponsorship from the large IT companies who are seeking graduates. I have worked with the B2C project (http://www.suas.ie/b2c.html) in Trinity.
While Suas works primarily with disadvantaged schools, the facilities and programmes have been attended by students from ‘mainstream’ schools also.
I have seen the enormous talent and ability shown by participants. This talent needs to be fostered for the future. The model of learning in this programme can and should be extended to the schools.
Education
Foreign language education should start in primary school at senior infants. Children have a great capacity to learn new languages at this age and we should waste this opportunity.
Mandarin Chinese and Spanish are the two languages that should be offered. The focus should be on spoken language only until secondary school, and the priority should be to make learning the language fun.
Education
Make ‘Running your own Business’ or ‘Setting up Your Own Business’ an optional or even compulsory module for all Transition Year students - it could even be incorporated as an optional add-on for third-level degrees. The reason I am suggesting this is after watching my daughter’s experience with a ‘mini business’ module during her Transition Year.
Because of this module, she learned more in four months about business and personal development than I have learned in 50 years. Also, they sourced raw materials over the Internet, stayed up late printing T-shirts, made a profit, had fun and she now says she’d have no worries whatsoever about setting up or being part of a company.
My husband and I come from families who earned their living through jobs. Our daughter’s experience broke through this into the new world of entrepreneurship. She would never ever have done this if it hadn’t been mandatory for Transition Year students in her particular school.
Green businesses
In the summer we still tend to put the boiler on for a while to heat the water, to wash the greasy saucepans etc. Why not consider using the principle behind the electric shower for the supply of hot water in the kitchen?
The rationale behind the electric shower is to provide hot water on demand without having to run the boiler first. Why not the same for the kitchen sink?
Insert a tap with a heating element that works on the same principle as the electric shower, i.e. only heating the exact amount of water you need exactly when you need it. No wasteful heating of a full tank of water.
I’m not sure if the sums add up, but maybe it’s worth a look for some budding entrepreneur.
Green business
My idea is to utilise a resource that we all produce - domestic waste. My understanding is that this is currently shipped to China for recycling.
Given the availability of employees, land and cheap industrial space in this country, would it not make sense for the Government to fund and support an Irish recycling industry?
I appreciate that this has to be done on an industrial scale to be cost efficient but WHY NOT? We are perfectly situated to tap into the British and mainland European markets. Irish people have really embraced the idea of recycling and a greener future for our country - surely there would be great enthusiasm for such a project.
Green business
All petrol cars can now run on E85 (ethanol), once fitted with a conversion kit. However, for cars registered under the older system of road tax (pre July 2008), the charge is based on the engine size.
I feel the NCT should be able to test pre-2008 cars fitted with an ethanol conversion for CO2 emissions and the road tax should then be calculated under the current system of CO2 emissions.
Some experts say that E85 can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 70%. The upcoming Budget is an ideal time to implement this change. Motorists would be encouraged to change to a renewable, more environmental friendly fuel. It would also have the benefit of creating work in the NCT and for the local mechanics who would fit the conversion kits.
Ethanol can be made in Ireland from whey, a byproduct of milk, so this may also help stabilise the recent dramatic fall in milk prices for farmers.
Green business
Remove all VAT on insulation products. This will increase the likelihood of people insulating their homes/businesses. I am not referring just to tradesmen that insulate, but also the DIYers. The costs would not be high to the Government and the benefits would be enormous.
There would be increased business for manufacturers and hardware stores. Secondly, people would be more comfortable and energy efficient in their homes/businesses. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, the Government would not have to waste taxpayers’ money on buying carbon credits on the open market.
Green business
A €1 levy should be charged on all plastic/glass bottles - from the smallest to the tallest. They have a similar idea in Switzerland where you are charged an extra 50 Swiss cents when you buy a bottle of lemonade etc.
When you return the empty plastic container to the shop, you get your 50c back and the shop returns the bottle to the recycling company for it to be used again. This is a clever way of getting people to recycle their bottles.
It makes people more aware that they have to recycle, reducing landfills etc and it creates employment in recycling.
Innovation
My idea is to establish Idea Management Systems in public and private organisations throughout Ireland.
Each year, Toyota’s employees implement 1.5 million ideas that save the company over $300 million annually. Inspired by this, a decade ago the Chairman and CEO of Dana Corporation (an auto industry giant in the US) asked his 80,000 employees to submit two creative ideas per month and implement 80% of them. A cultural transformation began, and for over 10 years Dana’s employees implemented about two million ideas per year, saving over $2 billion.
Beginning in 2001, using the same process, Technicolor in Detroit with 1,800 employees generated 20,000 ideas, implemented over 7,400 of them, and saved the company over $10 million within a year.
(This idea is very long and detailed and has had to be edited for space reasons)
Innovation
Why not follow on from the Ideas Campaign and set up ‘Inventors Clubs’ across the country? These could be in the form of ‘One Stop Shops’ or support/networking groups where budding and experienced inventors can exchange ideas, form alliances, provide guidance on patents etc.
In short, use the vast innovation base that is the public. It would help increase Ireland’s international profile in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Pharmaceutical / bio pharmaceutical / medical devices
My idea is that we should promote Ireland as the country with the least red tape for the biotech / pharmaceutical / biopharma industries where time to market from R&D is crucial in getting the highest return possible on investment. An extra year on market ahead of the competition goes a long way.
Policy
Set up a website to provide comprehensive information on healthcare options, with the principle aim of reducing unnecessary healthcare visits, particularly to A&E, and improving efficiency.
This website would act as the first point of contact for anyone considering using health services, by directing them as to which service they should use (GP/Health Centre/A&E etc), where they can find it (embedded Google Maps), how it is paid for (including info on medical/GP cards, health insurance, direct payments), and when they should visit, including opening hours and graphs of historical activity.
The latter is important because if people can see that they’ll need to wait eight hours on a Saturday night but one hour on a Sunday morning, they’ll tend to make better decisions about the urgency of their own case.
The website would also include general medical advice on subjects such as quitting smoking, eating habits, pregnancy, fitness, etc. It might also (for example) discourage an otherwise healthy adult with a bad cold from going to the doctor; explain why antibiotics are useless for colds and flus; indicate which minor ailments would be appropriate to simply ask a pharmacist’s advice.
I’d suggest the very successful www.citizensinformation.ie as a model for this site.
(This idea is very long and detailed and has had to be edited for space reasons)
Policy
Adjust planning policy to give priority to businesses sited in public areas such as city parks, national parks, sea fronts, city squares etc. In most continental European cities, public areas such as the above have an abundance of commercial cafes, bars, shops, ice cream stands, restaurants etc.
As well as providing jobs, these improve the amenity value of the area by providing an alternative way to enjoy the surroundings, and are particularly convenient for tourists.
I can see two general approaches to encouraging this type of development.
Firstly, local authorities might plan and commission the construction of premises, and retain full ownership. This would require less start-up capital from potential businesses. Alternatively, they might designate the areas as a new type of planning zone, and encourage interested parties to apply for permission to construct premises to be sub-leased. The two approaches are not exclusive.
Technology
The Government should focus on strategies that will foster the creation of native technology companies, and keep them rooted in Ireland until they become global players rather than getting bought out.
Numerous things could be done to encourage technology start ups. The risks to entrepreneurs should be lowered wherever possible. After all, these people employ the rest of us at great financial risk to themselves. (The few that receive great reward should be incentivised to hire even more of us or fund/advise more start-ups.)
For example: if an entrepreneur goes out of business, especially after having paid employees for years, s/he should be allowed to claim social welfare before selling his/her home or business fixed assets (which might help restart a business at low cost).
Protect the primary home (but not the fancy car) from creditors, especially when this was the entrepreneur’s residence before starting the business. Publish rules as to how and when bad credit histories can be wiped clean. Many successful entrepreneurs are those who learned from failure. It’s in the economy’s interest that people be given at a second chance.
(This idea is very long and detailed and has had to be edited for space reasons)
Technology
Technology transfer professionals and commercialisation specialists always talk about the benefits of clusters (areas where a nucleus of skills can develop, e.g. Galway for Medical Devices).
I have spent some time looking at business opportunities out of the Tech Transfer offices in universities and the ITs, and feel the problem we have in Ireland is a lack of clustering of entrepreneurial talent to bring innovative ideas to fruition.
The solutions to this involve simplifying the IP (Intellectual Property) process, widening the net on innovations beyond VC (Venture Capital) and helping the third-level institutions understand and put a value on entrepreneurial experience.
Most importantly, groups and clusters of entrepreneurs need to coach and mentor the potential third-level spin-outs into understanding where their inventions and innovations can deliver real value to potential customers.
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