Dr Bridget O Brien

Health:
Aim to establish a robust senior
scientific advisory committee, to
oversee the in excess of 14bn euro
expenditure and to ensure that all
modern equipment introduced is
safe for use.

Care of the elderly:

Provide security for the elderly in
their own homes. Combat social
isolation by providing community
services including night buses to
and from villages.

Enterprise:

Agriculture is a massively expanding
area. We need to capitalise on our
reputation for quality production.
Agricultural output essentially has 2
strands: mass production in large
factories, largely acknowledged.We
also need to nurture small local
production, so that it complements
the tourist industry, allows for
introduction into niche markets.

Tourism:

At a local level, we need to expand
our horizons, perhaps to include
direct access flights from China,
which has the largest untapped
market.We need to investigate the
possibility of providing public
transport to & from the airport, to
the major centres including Killarney
& Tralee. The airport is a
great resource. We need to maximise
it's use, to include refuelling
and use airport shopping to
showcase local produce.
Communications:
Improve Ireland's competitive
advantage by rolling out broadband
nationally and keeping our communication
network up to speed.

Education:

We should revert to an assessment
at the end of the primary cycle, to
ensure that all children entering
secondary school are proficient in
literacy skills and numeracy. Review
the format of the Leaving Certificate.
Social Affairs:
Regain control of our streets and
ensure a drug free environment in
our schools. Ensure there is no further
below cost selling of alcohol in
our supermarkets and off licenses.

Environment:

Revert to glass bottles as far as is
feasible for milk and soft drinks as
they are more easily recycled, and a
healthier option.

Finance:

We must restore confidence in at
least one portion of the banking
sector. This would allow people to
start saving in Irish institutions
again, rather than putting these
monies into cold storage or into
foreign banks. This could then be
rolled over to ensure lines of credit
for small business, and put the
wheels back on the wagon again.