The Next Steps Forward-Summary of the Taoiseach's Speech

This a summary of what issues and resolutions Fianna Fail proposed at the Ard Fheis last weekend:

Tax and PRSI
· A major, costed and affordable tax reduction for middle and low-income families.
· Today, PRSI unfairly burdens middle and lower earners. We will eliminate this inequality in a way that is both fiscally responsible and socially fair.
· For employees currently paying the full rate we will halve the rate of PRSI from 4% to 2%.
· We will abolish the PRSI ceiling for those employees.
· We will reduce the rate of PRSI paid by the self-employed from 3% to 2%.
· To ensure that taxpayers do not pay more simply because of inflation, we will increase tax credits and tax bands in line with wage increases each year.
· And we will double the credit where one spouse works in the home to care for children, the elderly or the disabled.
· Fianna Fáil will reduce the standard rate of income tax from 20% to 18%, and the marginal rate from 41 % to 40%.
· These tax cuts will reward work, strengthen our economy and promote social inclusion.
· They will improve the fairness of our tax system and will further enhance the rewards of work. They represent a continuation of the successful tax policies, which we have promised and delivered on in government.

Rural Ireland
· Agriculture is a vital part of a strong Irish economy, and Fianna Fáil are committed to farming as the cornerstone of life in rural Ireland.
· We lead the cause for farmers and rural development in the European Union and we have convinced other nations to join us for a simple reason: Europe should not abandon a safe, secure and traceable food supply.
· In the years ahead, we will continue the fight for the farming sector, and we will continue to stand firm against any moves to sacrifice agriculture in World Trade Organisation talks.
· Our Next Steps Forward for farming communities will invest in new products, new markets and upgrading our food industry.
· We will oppose any efforts to restrict the live export of animals.
· And, for farmers, we will work in Brussels to improve the fairness of inspections and reduce red tape.
· We believe in a future where rural people can choose to stay in their own communities.

Pensions
· For Fianna Fáil, a strong economy is not an end in itself. The purpose of prosperity is to sustain our people through all the stages of their lives.
· Now, is the time to take the Next Steps Forward for Ireland’s pensioners. If the Irish people return us to government, we will increase state pensions to at least €300 a week in the next five years.

Crime
· Crime is a real threat. This is a fight we will never shrink from – and one that we are determined to win.
· The Next Steps Forward in tackling crime will begin with prison reform.
· We will extend measures to make prisons drug free. We will do this by implementing mandatory drug tests upon arrival and regularly thereafter. Prison should not be time-off. It should be for work and for training so that when a sentence is complete, a productive life can begin.
· Anti-Social Behaviour Orders will be backed up by the establishment of a fully resourced and dedicated Garda unit to tackle the problem.
· We will introduce a Community Payback scheme requiring offenders to perform real services for the communities they have harmed.
· We will dramatically increase fines and penalties for alcohol related disorder and for supplying alcohol to minors.
· We will expand the use of CCTV to all major country towns. We will legislate mandatory jail terms for violent unprovoked street assaults.
· And to ensure that these tougher penalties are effective, we will take the most important Next Step Forward to reduce crime by increasing the number of Gardai by 2,000 to 16,000.
· These 2,000 additional Gardai will be put on the beat to strengthen communities and to deliver safer streets.

Health
· Our Next Steps Forward on Health will focus heavily on prevention, on keeping people out of hospital and providing better care in local communities nationwide.
· We will introduce an entitlement for a Personal Health Check for all. This Personal Health Check will be pro-active. It will include screening, so we can save lives by detecting disease early.
· Specifically, it will cover a broad range of threats, including breast, cervical and prostate cancer screening.
· We will create a national network of primary care teams and ensure that every community has access to 24-hour GP cover.
· We will increase the number of dedicated public-only hospital beds by 1,500.
· We will double the numbers of consultants to over 4,000
· We will hire more nurses to care for more patients.
· Fianna Fáil in government will build local injury clinics to take pressure off A & E’s and to ensure faster treatment for patients who do not have life threatening conditions.
· We will increase the availability of step down facilities in the form of home care support, and long-term care beds to help patients being discharged from hospitals.
· And for our children under 5 who need occupational or speech and language therapy, we will ensure that any child waiting more than 3 months for the service can access it automatically through the National Treatment Purchase Fund.

Children
· The Next Steps Forward will ensure that every child has the best possible start in life.
· We will meet our target of 50,000 new childcare places by 2010 and we pledge that by 2012 every child in Ireland will have access to an affordable pre-school education.
· To ensure that every child in every community has a safe, modern place for sports and play, we will complete the successful National Playgrounds Policy.
· And we will create a fund for a countrywide network of youth cafes where teenagers can meet in a safe, legal and healthy environment.
· Our commitment to children is clear. From next month, a family with two children under the age of six will get a direct and untaxed payment of 5,840 euros a year thanks to the increased Child Benefit and the Early Childhood Supplement introduced by this Fianna Fáil led government. This is real support for families and it helps to make the choices they believe are best for their children. We can be encouraged, but certainly not complacent, that one hundred thousand children have been lifted out of poverty since 1997. This challenges us to do more. Our Next Steps Forward for children are the most important investments we can make in the Ireland we can become.

Education
· In ten years, 10,000 extra teachers have been hired. Thousands of existing schools have been modernised and hundreds of new schools have been built. And 45,000 more third level places have been created.
· We have provided for the most sustained increase in funding and participation in the history of Irish education.
· It is this sustained commitment that gives Fianna Fáil credibility on education.
· Our Next Steps Forward on education will include providing at least 4,000 more primary school teachers.
· This will ensure that our children are taught in smaller classes.
· At second level, we will prioritise reductions in the size of classes in the core subjects of Irish, English and Maths.
· We will also ensure that new schools will be built to meet the needs of families in developing areas.
· Because we understand the real-life pressures on young people today, we will support them better by hiring extra guidance counselors.
· For children with special needs, we will continue to improve services and ensure the right to an Individual Education Plan.

Research and Development
· In five years, Ireland will double investment in research and development. We will double the number of PhD graduates in science, engineering and technology.
· Ireland will strive to lead the world in the decisive asset of human capital.
· Underpinning all these specific policies is the National Development Plan.
· Implementing the National Development Plan will be our top priority. It will be our Next Step Forward.