Promises on Poverty

Election promises on Poverty

Fianna Fail

• Increase state pension to €300 per week by 2012.
• SSIA-type initiative for pensions.
• Implement National Carers' Strategy.
• Increase qualified child allowance by €22 a week.
• Increase family income supplement and double the Back to School allowance.
• Increase overseas development aid to 0.7 per cent of GNP by 2012. 

Fine Gael  

• Increase the Old Age Pension to €300.
• An inter-departmental approach to achieve the National Action Plan against Poverty and Social Exclusion, which is to totally eradicate consistent poverty.

Labour 

• A Fair Deal For Communities – the revitalisation of areas and neighbourhoods of chronic multiple deprivation.
• An end of homelessness in the life of the next government.
• Replace the rent-allowance system with a new form of housing support, which will be related to the household's income regardless of source, and to the household's housing needs.

Greens

• Individualise adult social-welfare payments.
•Work towards abolishing means-testing for primary payments such as the carers allowance and unemployment assistance and review means-testing as a method of assessment for secondary benefits.
• Introduce a range of refundable tax credits for carers, parents, volunteers.
 • Work towards increasing the basic state pension from 30 per cent of average income to 60 per cent. 

Sinn Fein 

• The creation of an All-Ireland equality body.
• The creation of an All Ireland-Social Economy Agency. Should administer a new Social Economy fund to mainstream funding to local sustainable community development projects.

 PDs

• One year's free community-based pre-school
• Increase the basic state pension to €300 per week by 2012.
• Introduce a Special Pension Incentive Account where state will contribute €1 for every €2 contributed by individual.
• Double the amount people can earn before their carers' allowance is reduced to €640 (single) and €1,280 (couple) per week.

Socialist Party

• Resist bosses' imposing wage competition and a race to the bottom between workers.
• Women suffer the worst pay and conditions and are still paid on average 16 per cent less than men. The trade unions must take action to enforce equal pay. Extend paid maternity leave to 52 weeks.