Government ‘scanning the horizon’ for future risks

The Government has a duty to ensure that the ill fortunes which Ireland has experienced never reoccur, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said yesterday as he launched this year’s National Risk Assessment programme.

The annual assessment sets out a draft list of strategic risks which Ireland faces, with a view to stimulating public debate on them and what the appropriate responses should be.

“We must do this by being open to the future, scanning the horizon to ensure that we are quick to detect any event that could undo us if left unchecked,” he said.

The draft list of risks includes assessing the continuing recovery in the Irish economy, growing pressures in the housing market, launch of a quantitative easing programme by the European Central Bank, ongoing negotiations on Greece’s finances and its economic reform programme, and the recent election in Britain.

Greater geo-political uncertainty as a result of the ongoing conflict between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-aligned rebels, and the rise of Islamic State in the Middle East is also being considered.

Mr Kenny said he hoped that the assessment would stimulate mature debate about the challenges we face as a nation and how these should be addressed.

“Given the pace at which events change and the complexities involved, Government cannot pretend to have a monopoly of wisdom,” he added.

• Submissions on the draft list of risks named are being sought and can be made to [e-mail] by June 19.

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