Aileen O’Toole, founder of the Ideas Campaign, today welcomed the launch of Your Country Your Call, the national competition under the patronage of President Mary McAleese designed to reward transformational proposals for Irish economic prosperity.
Posts Tagged ‘Ideas Campaign’
Ideas Campaign welcomes President’s economic competition
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010Rail tourism idea to be implemented
Wednesday, December 9th, 20099 December 2009
The Government is to implement a tourism idea proposed in the Action Plan for the Ideas Campaign, the independent citizens’ campaign launched earlier this year. The idea proposed offering off-peak free travel for tourists as a means of generating overseas revenues.
In his budget speech today, the Minister for Finance said:“ As an imaginative initiative to increase tourism numbers next year, Iarnród Éireann have agreed to participate in a new scheme, to be developed by Fáilte Ireland, aimed at senior citizens visiting Ireland from abroad. This group will be offered vouchers for greatly discounted rail travel throughout Ireland. More information on this initiative will be given by Fáilte Ireland and Iarnród Éireann in the coming weeks when the details have been finalised.”
In July, the Government announced that it planned to immediately implement 17 of the 44 ideas included in the campaign’s Action Plan, in areas such as active citizenship, the knowledge economy, tourism and government finances. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Renewal gave a further commitment to review other ideas in the plan. The tourism idea was not among the initial 17 ideas which the Government agreed to implement.
The Ideas Campaign, which generated a huge local and international response with almost 5,300 ideas logged on the campaign site, was launched in March and concluded in July. The campaign was launched and funded by online consultancy AMAS.
Read the original government statement
Download the campaign’s Action Plan
Ideas Campaign welcomes Government response
Tuesday, July 21st, 200921 July 2009
The Ideas Campaign today (Tuesday 21 July) welcomed the response by the Government about implementing ideas generated through the Ideas Campaign.
The campaign’s founder Aileen O’Toole said it is encouraging that the Government has responded so positively and so comprehensively to the ideas submitted by Irish citizens.
She added that the decision to immediately action 17 specific ideas in the campaign will have a positive impact on Ireland, both economically and socially.
Other Government commitments, to analyse the feasibility of other ideas in the action plan and to carry out six-monthly implementation reviews, are also highly positive, she said.
When the campaign was launched, Aileen O’Toole received a commitment from An Taoiseach Brian Cowen TD that the campaign’s action plan “would be fast-tracked to the Cabinet committee on Economic Renewal for assessment and implementation, where appropriate.”
The plan, which was published on 14 May, was considered in detail by the Cabinet committee and by government departments in advance of last week’s Cabinet decision on its implementation.
All the main political parties have endorsed the Ideas Campaign and have welcomed the recommendations made in the action plan, which was produced by a high-level Advisory Group comprising representatives from business, policy, academia, the arts and the voluntary sector.
Aileen O’Toole said that the Action Plan was not intended solely for Government to implement but also for business and voluntary organisations, as well as individuals.
The plan has been circulated to over 300 interested parties and has been extensively downloaded from the campaign website. The Ideas Campaign is aware that organisations, businesses and other parties have been reviewing the plan and taking steps to implement some of the ideas.
Implementation of the actions by the Government, organisations and businesses is a powerful endorsement of this independent citizens’ campaign to create ideas for economic recovery and to help stimulate a different type of national discussion about the Irish economy, Aileen O’Toole stated.
Government responds to Ideas Campaign
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009Press release issued by the Government Press Office, 21 July 2009:
Minister Conor Lenihan announces Government response to the Ideas Campaign
‘Ideas reflect the commitment and energy of Irish people which will carry us through this global downturn’ - Lenihan
The Government today (Tuesday 21st July) announced its response to the Ideas Campaign, the independent citizens initiative for economic recovery and renewal.
A total of 17 of the 44 ideas included in the campaign’s Action Plan, in areas such as active citizenship, the knowledge economy, tourism and government finances, are to be implemented on the recommendation of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Renewal.
The Government is continuing to examine the feasibility of other ideas included in the campaign’s Action Plan and has committed to six-monthly reviews of implementation of the Ideas Campaign. See appendix for details of the 17 ideas to be supported by Government.
Announcing the Government decision, Minister for Science, Technology & Innovation, Conor Lenihan TD said:”The Government was impressed by the quality of the suggestions made by citizens through the Ideas Campaign.”
“The Government is keen to action as many of these ideas as quickly as possible and has identified 17 which it can support at this stage. Many of the other ideas warrant further analysis and attention and I propose to bring forward further proposals in relation to those over the coming months.”
Aileen O’Toole, founder of the Ideas Campaign, welcomed the Government response: “It is encouraging that the Government has responded so positively and so comprehensively to the ideas submitted by Irish citizens. The implementation of these ideas will have a positive impact on Ireland, both economically and socially.
“It is also encouraging to see that other parties are taking action on foot of the Ideas Campaign.
“The Action Plan was not intended solely for Government to implement but also for business and voluntary organisations, as well as individuals. The Ideas Campaign is also aware that organisations, companies and other parties have been considering implementing ideas included in the plan.”
Minister Conor Lenihan added: “The campaign places strong emphasis on community involvement and initiative and this is an aspect which the Government very much welcomes.
“The submission of almost 5,300 ideas for consideration by the Ideas Campaign is an extraordinary response and reflects the commitment and energy of Irish people which will carry us through this global downturn.”
Since the Ideas Campaign Action Plan was published, the Government has been analysing the details of the submission through the Cabinet Committee on Economic Renewal.
The Government was keen to ensure that each suggestion made was considered fully, by both individual Departments and collectively to ensure synergies and the exploitation of opportunities where possible.
Minister Conor Lenihan said that “the actions which the Government is pursuing through the ‘Smart Economy’ Framework have led to changes and initiatives in dozens of different areas that needed updating and reform.
“The Ideas Campaign was a parallel citizens’ exercise which strengthened the resolve of what we have to do. It also showed that Government and citizens were joining together to exert influence for smart change and adaptation in our economy.”
Appendix
List of 17 ideas to be implemented by Government (extract from the Ideas Campaign Action Plan)
Idea 1: Create a new Volunteer Corps to engage the unemployed in community and voluntary work in Ireland and internationally, without losing their unemployment benefits
Idea 2: Build capacity and awareness in community and voluntary groups to enable them to ‘employ’ volunteers effectively.
Idea 8: Ensure that there is not an automatic ‘use it or lose it’ approach to public funding. Allow those in receipt to rollover unspent funds to the following year’s budget to facilitate medium-term planning and savings
Idea 9: Review integrated initiatives to derive maximum value from the public sector property portfolio through utilising vacant space, purchasing rather than renting etc
Idea 12: Make changes to job seekers’ allowance to incentivise placement of graduates
Idea 16: Provide a one-stop-shop virtual helpdesk for start-ups with advice on legal, HR, patents, accountancy issues etc.
Idea 20: Develop a coherent ‘Ireland’ brand for education in order to draw more international students to our third-level institutions
Idea 21: Provide for earlier entitlement for unemployed to access education schemes
Idea 24: Teach business skills as part of all PhD education as a means of promoting the knowledge economy
Idea 26: Increase further education and training opportunities for the unemployed including through eLearning and blended learning
Idea 27: Make exercise space and outdoor equipment for old and young people available to facilitate healthy living and social interaction in communities all around the country
Appendix
Idea 31: Increase measures to promote a ‘Green Island’ integrated brand for Ireland. Position Ireland as a green food island producing premium, natural foods
Idea 35: Encourage schools to organise transition year trips within Ireland to assist tourism
Idea 36: Explore the potential impact of providing greater flexibility for small scale public sector procurement to reduce costs and increase access to public contracts by SMEs
Idea 37: Encourage voluntary early retirement in the public sector
Idea 38: Facilitate career breaks and shorter working week in public sector
Idea 43: Take measures to facilitate the use of lower-cost generic drugs, for example by pre-printing ‘or generic equivalent’ on all prescriptions, or through other initiatives
Sinn Féin acknowledges campaign proposals
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009Sinn Féin has welcomed the publication of the Ideas Campaign’s Action Plan.
Shaun Tracey, the party’s representative in Dublin South, said: “Sinn Féin has welcomed the establishment of the Ideas Campaign and agrees with a broad range of ideas proposed within it.”
He said that to be genuinely effective, planning and service delivery must be guided by local knowledge.
“Sinn Féin believe that the Ideas Campaign is one way of maximising grassroots participation in democracy and will continue to monitor the Ideas Campaign and take its suggestions on board.”
Fine Gael commends the campaign on its Action Plan
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009Fine Gael Leader, Enda Kenny, has commended the Ideas Campaign on the production of its Action Plan, saying putting good ideas into action is the way to begin national recovery in Ireland.
“I congratulate the Ideas Campaign for tapping into the really positive ideas of the Irish public and the fantastic response they received is a testament to the ingenuity, optimism and creativity of our people.
“The Irish people created economic prosperity and, as the Ideas Campaign has shown, they have more than enough ability to return the country to better economic times. The principle of the Ideas Campaign in encouraging people to overcome the gloom and turn their attention towards paving the way to a better future has proven successful.”
Labour describes campaign as valuable
Friday, May 22nd, 2009Labour Party leader, Eamon Gilmore’s statement on the Ideas Campaign Action Plan:
“I want to congratulate the Ideas Campaign on its success with the launch of its action plan.
Amidst all the gloom of the current economic situation and particularly the increase in the numbers out of work, it is important that we do not lose hope and that we continued to work together to get the country out of the recession and back on the road to recovery.
At a difficult time like this, every idea needs to be examined, every initiative explored and every opportunity taken. The Ideas Campaign has proved to be a very valuable outlet in this regard.”
Green Party congratulates campaign
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and leader of the Green Party, John Gormley TD, congratulates the Ideas Campaign:
“I’m delighted to receive this report and I congratulate the Ideas Campaign on its work in providing a conduit for so many positive suggestions from the general public. I’m encouraged that so many people took part in putting forward ideas simply out of a desire to improve Ireland socially, environmentally and economically. There are many great ideas and suggestions for the Government, businesses, and the wider community to consider carefully, and I have no doubt that we will see many of them being implemented.”
Taoiseach welcomes the Ideas Campaign Action Plan
Friday, May 15th, 2009Commenting on the Action Plan of the Ideas Campaign launched today (14 May 2009), the Taoiseach Mr Brian Cowen TD, said:
“I have always said that Ireland’s best natural resource is the talent and ingenuity of the Irish people. The submission of almost 5,300 ideas for consideration by the Ideas Campaign is an extraordinary response and reflects the commitment and energy of Irish people which will carry us through this global downturn.”
The Taoiseach reiterated his view that the Ideas Campaign epitomises the “Meitheal Mentality” - helping each other out when the job needs to be done.
He said “To get through this difficult period and, most importantly, to set us on the path to economic renewal, we need to think smarter and work smarter”.
“I have just received a copy of the report. I will be fast-tracking the ideas to the Cabinet sub-committee on Economic Renewal for assessment and implementation, where appropriate.
I would like to congratulate all those involved in giving their time free of charge to this independent and non-political campaign.”
Ideas: batch #23
Friday, April 10th, 2009The latest sample of ideas received since the campaign’s launch
Agriculture and food
A huge investment in the forestry sector could provide thousands of jobs all over the country, in particular the western half of the country.
Ireland has the most ideal conditions for growing trees in all of Europe, better than those of Norway and Sweden; both countries have big forestry industries which represent a large proportion of their national export income.
Great Britain is the main buyer of timber from Scandinavia - our next door neighbours! An advanced timber industry in Eire would be home grown, renewable, and good for the environment, and it is not an industry that will be shipped to a cheaper economy when costs rise. I believe it’s a win win!
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