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Economic Statement Fails To Address Problems In Rural Ireland

While I welcome the spring economic statement made in the Dail this week, there are so many problems, particularly in rural Ireland that no one is getting too excited about the economic recovery just yet. I certainly welcome the increase in economic activity generally and the reduction in unemployment but it comes against a backdrop of a two tier recovery. I just want to remind this Government that our health service is in crisis with longer waiting lists than ever before and continuing large numbers of people lying on trolleys in A and E units. I have been highlighting the serious problems that exist in the mental health services locally and this is another issue that must be tackled in the overall context of any economic recovery. 

I note that SME’s are critical of the economic statement and there is very little in there in terms of incentives for people who are trying to keep small businesses going or who want to set up. We have a housing crisis throughout the country and property bubble being allowed to develop in Dublin. Have we learned nothing at all? We have thousands of family homes in danger of being re-possessed and we are in the process of handing back the banks to the private sector and to the very people who caused our economic crash in the first place. The economic recovery might be a reality for some people but there are many problems out there, particularly outside the M50, that need to be tackled in a realistic way. The entire population who have paid dearly for the economic crash deserve to share in any recovery.