Fintan O’Toole states that Fine Gael promotes the idea of a diminutive state (Opinion & Analysis, March 27th). However, considering that in 2011 there were 301,572 public servants, which grew to a figure of 377,311 by the conclusion of 2022, it tells a different story.
Farmers across Ireland and the wider Europe are being smothered under a formidable heap of administrative work and illogical regulations. These increasing rules show an irrelevance towards solving the crisis of climate change and are draining the pleasure out of food production.
But not solely is this administrative burden distressing farmers. Public workers such as the gardaí and teachers are expressing distress over the surge in paperwork. This bureaucratic mountain has choked our planning proceedings and the forestry industry, creating a horror for anyone trying to build a home or plant a forest.
For instance, the DAA lodged a planning application last December aiming at raising Dublin Airport’s passenger counts to 40 million. This application comprises 7,000 pages and close to 700 pictures.
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Oddly enough, even though the DAA formulated the planning application digitally, it needed to be printed for submission to the council, who digitised it again for internet publication.
Creating an enlarged state appears not to be an issue for Fine Gael, but crafting an operative state that gets things done evidently is. – Yours faithfully, JASON FITZHARRIS, Swords, Co Dublin.