Fine Gael party leader, Enda Kenny TD, along with members of his front bench have outlined the core elements of the party’s ‘5-point plan to get Ireland working’. The plan is designed to create jobs, reform the health system, fix the budget crisis, make Government smaller and more cost effective and put the burden on politicians first.
“At the heart of the current economic crisis is an unemployment crisis. Over the last three years 300,000 people have lost their jobs - the biggest fall in unemployment in the OECD and 100,000 mostly young people will emigrate over the next two years. Mayo has suffered enormous 'brain-drain' from emigration in recent years and we must not allow it to get any worse,” said Deputy Kenny.
“Fine Gael has a clear credible jobs plan which will create 25,000 jobs every year over the next four years by focusing on spending cuts rather than job-destroying tax increases. We will invest in our future through our NewERA plan to pump €7 billion in green infrastructure. This is something that will help create jobs in County Mayo. We will invest in small and medium sized businesses through a new partial loan guarantee scheme which will give them the credit they so desperately need. In addition, we intend to abolish the lower rate of employer PRSI to encourage the creation and retention of jobs.
“No economy has ever taxed its way back to recovery. Our budgetary plan will not increase income taxes, the 12.5 per cent corporation tax or taxes on employment. We remain committed to reducing the Budget deficit by 2014 and our goal is to achieve a Budget surplus by 2016. By cutting down on waste and inefficiency Fine Gael will keep the Old Age Contributory and Non-Contributory Pensions at their current level. Working-age payments to carers, the blind and the disabled will also be maintained.
“We will minimise further reductions in job-seekers’ payments and other working age social welfare payments by getting more people back to work, and by reducing the massive levels of fraud and administrative cost in the current welfare system.”
Fine Gael will also be looking to reform the public sector with the abolition of 145 State bodies and companies, a reduction in the total public service headcount by 30,000 by 2014 compared to 2010 while protecting frontline services, introduce a salary cap of €200,000 for everyone, gradually dismantle the HSE and FÁS, and create a single, more powerful Competition and Utilities Commission to champion the consumer.
Fine Gael will reduce the total number of Oireachtas members by a third by abolishing the Seanad and cutting the number of TDs by 20. They will strengthen Freedom of Information; establish a “whistle-blowers charter”; register all lobbyists; create a new Electoral Commission; amend the constitution to give Dáil committees full powers of investigation and strengthen the power of local government.
FairCare will gradually dismantle the HSE and replace it with a system of Universal Health Insurance (UHI ) starting in 2016, based on the Dutch model of healthcare. Under the Fine Gael system hospitals will be paid for the number of patients they treat rather than giving block grants. They will introduce more affordable GP care by opening up contracts to all qualified doctors. Fine Gael will reduce waiting lists by establishing a special delivery unit, which reports directly to the Minister, to better manage waiting lists.
