The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has identified better training facilities, affordable childcare and the provision of effective public transport as the Government's key objectives for 2001.
In a New Year message, Mr Ahern said that while the foundations for economic prosperity were firmly in place the challenge was to ensure that this was translated into a better quality of life for everyone in the State.
Ireland's membership of the United Nations Security Council reflected our international standing, he said, and the Government would adopt a reforming approach at the UN. At the heart of our work would be a commitment to nuclear disarmament, international peacekeeping, development aid and human rights.
At home, the Government was already creating jobs in an unprecedented way, and this meant that we had outgrown our social infrastructure. Implementation of the National Development Plan would further improve our quality of life and provide for the physical infrastructure the State needed. It also provided for unprecedented investment in social infra structure. Health, education, housing and childcare would be targeted for record investment.
While the Government would do its part in providing a better life for citizens, Mr Ahern urged people to become involved in voluntary organisations within their communities. The year 2001 had been designated the International Year of the Volunteer and, as we moved forward in changing times, it was important that we retained the values of community spirit.
For generations, Irish people had been forced to accept a much lower standard of living than that of our neighbours in western Europe. Those days were now gone, he said, and we had caught up with and had begun to surpass average EU living standards. This had occurred a decade earlier than predicted and the challenge was to ensure that it was translated into a better quality of life for everyone.
On Northern Ireland, the Taoiseach pledged to do all in his power to uphold and sustain the Belfast Agreement during the coming year and to ensure its full implementation.