‘FF loud on Siteserv but silent on closure of sugar industry’
WHEN the Fianna Fáil Government shut down the sugar industry, not one Fianna Fáil member was shouting for a review in that case or asking what went wrong, Cork East Fine Gael Deputy Tom Barry told the Dáil.
“The closure broke the backbone of where I live,” he said. “Fianna Fáil is shouting about foreign investors. Why did it not support the people who were making a living in an indigenous industry that it ruined and got rid of ?”
Speaking during a debate on a Fianna Fáil motion calling for an independent enquiry into the sale of Siteserv, Deputy Barry said the Minister for Finance met with IBRC, formerly Anglo-Irish Bank, and was assured that under the old framework put in place by Fianna Fáil, there was no monetary threshold for any sale of assets.
“IBRC was mandated to effect an orderly running down of the old Anglo Irish Bank,” he said. “Wild accusations are being heard because sufficient value was not received. What do Members opposite think is the job of a liquidator? Liquidators wind down institutions usually for less than the value one would expect.
“People are talking about foreign investors but I do not see any of them jumping up and down.
“When the Minister for Finance saw that Siteserv was being sold, he decided to monitor the situation and to look for a new relationship framework because he wanted to be part of the decision-making. It is a huge improvement and I cannot see why the Minister’s anxiety to ensure everything is done properly is regarded as a fault.”
Deputy Barry said the Minister has appointed special liquidators and is confident that they will get to the bottom of the issue. “Mr. Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill is presiding over any conflict of interest that may occur,” he said. “People will have faith in the fact that this review will be credible and will not cost the country a fortune.
“However, when that review is completed, the Minister has not ruled out further action, which leaves the door open. We should await the review and judge it on its merits.
“The Minister has said that this review will be presented to the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, of which I am a member. I am sure we will all have something to say about it.”
The Fianna Fáil motion was defeated by 73 votes to 43. child care providers have all been calling for an immediate focus on finding lasting solutions to the challenges in the sector.
“The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform stated that a successful child care policy will help people to participate in the economy and that we need to find a balance between the needs of children, parents and the wider economy,” she said.
“The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has established a working group on the issue of child care and is calling for submissions.”
Time is of the essence and strategies urgently need to be put in place, she said. “I welcome that the Minister, Deputy Reilly, has acknowledged the urgency of the matter but I am not convinced that a lengthy consultation process and calls for submissions from the public are the best solution to this immediate crisis.
“I recognise that consultation is needed but stakeholders and children’s organisations have been giving their input and recommendations for many years.
“Parents have voiced their opinions through these groups and they are waiting for change. There is growing sentiment within the sector and among parents that the decisions being made around consultation are delaying the desperate need for progress. The interdepartmental group set up to address the issue is apparently meeting regularly.”
Deputy McLellan said she had repeatedly asked the Minister when she could expect an update on what is being discussed but she was routinely told that this group of representatives from seven Departments and their advisers are working on a plan.
“Policy documents and reports from the most knowledgeable of people in Irish NGOs and children’s organisations have already outlined proposals and solutions,” she said. “Are they being taken on board?”
The Government also pledged to increase access to subsidised child care and after school places by extending eligibility, she said. International research showed that early care and education services only benefit children if they are of a high quality.
“Quality of child care in this State is inconsistent and variable,” she said. “Improving quality must be the central aim of early years policy.
“Although the Government is committed in theory to a second free pre-school year, the sector has called for improvements in quality for the first year and to make access universal in practice rather than in name. Children with special needs are frequently denied access to the free pre-school year due to a shortage of appropriate staff and special needs assistants in creches The Government’s promise of universal care is in name only.”