TWICE THE SIZE - DIT Update - Dublin Institute of Technology

sector up the value chain; promote an increased emphasis on the highest
environmental, food and safety and animal health standards; and provide efficient
and effective State services to farmers.
11. To address rural poverty and social exclusion in a comprehensive and sustained
manner, ensuring that access to key public services, including education, transport
and healthcare is improved. Likewise, to tackle the spatial concentration of
unemployment, poverty and exclusion in disadvantaged urban communities, with
particular regard to helping those affected acquire the skills and supports necessary
to avail of employment and development opportunities. Overall, to provide every
person in the State with sufficient income to live life with dignity and achieve
economic independence.
12. Promoting the mergence and consolidation of the social economy, generating
employment that is sustainable and of high quality.
13. To improve access to quality healthcare services with special attention to specific
areas such as smoking, healthy eating, drug abuse, travellers health, mental health,
women and children, the disabled and lifestyle changes. Government still has to
tackle some of the tougher proposals made by the Brennan Committee with regard
to health services which reported that in every single aspect of the service they
found low standards of accountability and a complacent and casual attitude from
the public servants in charge of taxpayers monies.
14. A major priority is to have a responsible and efficient pensions system that
encourages individuals to supplement a decent state system.
15. In education, it is possible that student’s heads are being filled with irrelevant data
to the detriment of enriching their lives and preparing them, through civics at
school, to be parents, workers and voters, as well as thinking, participating and
caring individuals.
16. Preserving and promoting the Irish language should continue to be a prime priority
in cultural affairs. Interestingly, in the context of language and culture, one
inspired proposal emerged during the Limerick workshop for the setting-up of a
global village for the study of international languages which would provide an iconic
enterprise to attract an extra million visitors to Limerick each year.
17. Moderating the rise of managerialism, with its colourless and neutralised language
of process, and the dominance of economic rationality, which are together stifling
the role of creativity, individual initiative, wisdom and judgement in organisations,
especially university level institutions. It is fast becoming a risk averse society.
18. Harnessing cultural heritage and facilities to further social and economic
development and enhance Ireland’s international image and national identity.
19. Create a secure environment for all citizens through efficient, effective and
equitable policing.
20. Build a society based on the great cardinal civic virtues essential to a wellfunctioning
democracy and the common good, being: the generous impulse, the
readiness to be compassionate, the facility to modulate self-interest, the sense of
fair play and the assumption of duty.
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