Fianna Fail Policies and Promises

Below, Village outlines the policies and promises made to the Irish electorate by FIanna Fail should the party be returned to office.

Taxation

Reduce the standard rate of income tax from 20% to 18%
Reduce marginal rates from 41 % to 40%
PRSI for full rate employees at 2%, down from 4%
PRSI for the self employed at 2%, down from 3%
Tax bands and credits will be index linked to wage increases and will double the credit where one spouse works in the home to care for children, the elderly or the disabled.

Health

Introduce a Personal Health Check, which will include breast, cervical and prostate cancer screening.
Will create a national network of primary care teams and ensure that every community has access to 24-hour GP cover.
Will increase the number of dedicated public-only hospital beds by 1,500.
Will double the numbers of consultants to over 4,000
Will build local injury clinics to take pressure off A & E's
Will increase the availability of step down facilities and long-term care beds to help patients being discharged from hospitals

Education

Providing at least 4,000 more primary school teachers.
At second level reduce class size in the core subjects of Irish, English and Maths.
Build new schools
Hire extra guidance counselors.
Improve services for children with special needs . 

Crime

2000 extra Gardai
Prison Reform - mandatory drug tests
Anti-Social Behaviour Orders Garda unit
Community Payback scheme: requiring offenders to perform real services for the communities they have harmed.
Increase fines and penalties for alcohol related disorder and for supplying alcohol to minors
Will expand the use of CCTV to all major country towns
Will legislate mandatory jail terms for violent unprovoked street assaults.
Increase the number of Gardai by two thousand to sixteen thousand.

Economy

Continuing to reduce the national debt, aim to achieve average growth of 4.5%.
In five years, will double investment in research and development.
Will double the number of PhD graduates in science, engineering and technology.
Deliver the National Development Plan in full, on time and in budget.
Will increase state pensions to at least €300 a week in the next five years.
Develop a new SSIA-type scheme to improve the personal pensions of workers.
Full parity for all women in their pension rights.

Transport and Infrastructure

Will complete the national motorway network, and develop new bus and train services throughout the country.
In Dublin, will join the LUAS Green and Red lines; will extend Luas to Docklands; to Citywest; to Cherrywood; and from the City Centre to Liffey Junction.
Will accelerate construction of the Interconnector between Docklands and Heuston stations. Will open Metro North from Saint Stephen's Green to Swords via Dublin Airport, and open Metro-West connecting Tallaght and Ballymun through Clondalkin, Lucan and Blanchardstown.
Will reopen the Western Rail Corridor from Ennis to Claremorris, launch the Galway to Athenry commuter rail service and open the Cork-Midleton rail service and the Navan rail line.
Will complete the five inter-urban motorways to Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Galway and to the border; will complete the Atlantic Road Corridor as well. Will also complete the Border Road Corridor – along with high quality road corridors to the North West and the West. Will finish the East coast N11 dual carriageway to Rosslare.

Housing (Stamp Duty)

Abolish Stamp Duty for first time buyers and make it retrospective to 30 April 2007.
Increase mortgage interest relief for first time buyers and recent buyers to £10000 for singles and £20000 for couples or widowed persons from January 2008.
Expand delivery of social and affordable and housing to meet needs of 90000 families.
Achieve a fall in numbers of homeless.
Extend remit of the Affordable Homes Partnership nationwide.
Regeneration of problem estates through Sustainable Communities Fund.

Environment and Energy

One third of all electricity from renewable energy by 2020.
Peat stations to use 30% biomass by 2015.
Single Electricity Market by November 2007.
Reduce carbon emissions.
Ensure that Irish water quality is 100% compliant with drinking water standards.
Increase recycling levels and reduce the cost of waste management.
Review fines and sentences for polluting.

Poverty

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 a double the Back to School allowance.
Enhance the Money Advice and Budgeting Service
Increase overseas development aid to 0.7% of GNP by 2012.

Children and Childcare

Constitutional amendment on Article on Children.
Increase rate of Early Childcare Supplement and Child Benefit.
Access to affordable pre-school place for all by 2012.
50000 extra childcare places by 2010, by requiring developers to give funds or land from new developments to local authorities.
Increase paid maternity leave by five weeks and make al leave after the first 26 weeks available to either parent.
Develop after-school and holiday-time childcare for school-age children.
Ensure that every child has access to a safe, modern playground.

Immigration

Only grant work permits when proven that suitable employees are not available with the European Economic Area.
Allow workers to apply and reapply for their own permit and change employer in cases of mistreatment.

Integrate asylum and pre-deportation examinations processes to increases speed.

Enact the proposed Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill.

Create Minister for the Integration of Immigrants.