Many challenges ahead for Ireland

It is difficult for governments to comply with the aspirations of citizens in recessionary times. Everything has a price and cost of care services for the vulnerable continues to spiral.

Since the foundation of the State Ireland was dependent on religious orders in the provision of care. The State simply did not have the money. From the 1980s onwards vocations began to decline and the State was forced to take up the slack. Little by little it had no choice but to face up to its responsibility.

This became less a problem in the boom times but now we are back where we started. Charitable organisations and the private sector have filled the vacuum left by religious orders with costs increasing daily.

With the country’s workforce just over one million and about three million people state dependent in one way or another, we have a serious problem. A quarter of this workforce are civil servants. With PAYE workers now saying they can’t take any more taxes direct or indirect, what is the solution?

We could borrow more money, but with the Troika almost off our backs it would not be a good idea. We could try to create thousands of new jobs in the private sector, but the banks are not lending. All countries in the EU with high rates of unemployment like Ireland are now faced with the same dilemma. There are still many challenges ahead.

Cllr Nuala Nolan

Bowling Green

Galway