Deputy Martin also highlighted some of Fianna Fรกilโs employment proposals in advance of next week’s budget.
โWe have made a range of proposals to government that they should develop a capital fund using the National Pensions Reserve; match that with a mandatory percentage of the private pension funds and create a fighting fund of โฌ4 billion to invest in projectsโ, he said.
He cited the Limerick Regeneration Project as โa classic exampleโ of a programme that could create jobs while improving peopleโs quality of life and living conditions.
Deputy Martin also proposed that state agencies and government departments should โdouble, or even trebleโ the number of young people employed as interns.
The party leader visited Limerick city last Friday when he met with a number of groups and local residents as part of a Fianna Fรกil strategy that he describes as โthe first phase of our renewalโ.
โItโs really about the party becoming much more of a listening party. Weโre listening to people and weโre looking afresh at issues and weโll be developing policies as we go along”, he explained.