Fine Gael
Manifesto
www.FineGael.ie

Let’s Get Ireland Working

Table of Contents
Foreword by Party Leader, Enda Kenny TD	

2

Fine Gael’s 5 Points to Recovery 	

4

1	
2	
3	
4	
5	
6	
7	
8	
9	
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21

9
13
16
22
25
27
31
33
34
39
42
44
47
52
53
59
62
64
72
76
78

	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	

Agriculture, Seafood & Marine	
Arts, Culture and Sports	
Banking and Debt Distress	
Children, Older People and Families	
Community and Rural Affairs	
Crime, Justice and Drugs	
Defence		
Disability		
Education		
Energy & Communications	
Environment & Climate Change	
Foreign Affairs	
Health and Mental Health 	
An Gaeilge	
Jobs, Enterprise and Economic Growth	
Local Government and Housing 	
Political Reform 	
Public Finances and Taxation	
Public Sector Reform 	
Tourism 		
Transport 		

Fine Gael Manifesto l 1

Let’s Get Ireland Working
Ireland now relies on the goodwill of other Governments and international institutions to fund our
State. That Ireland has been brought to this tragic juncture in our history reflects a massive loss of
market and international political confidence not just in the last Government’s economic policies,
but also in the way Ireland works as a country.
The economic collapse we have witnessed has shattered citizens’ confidence not only in reckless banks,
but also in the integrity of our politics and the institutions put in place to protect, help and serve us, such
as the Financial Regulator, the HSE and FÁS.
Behind the wreckage of our banking system, our health service, our public finances and the jobs market,
lies a cosy culture of cronyism and low standards that infiltrated the top of our political and public service
systems under recent Governments.
It is a culture that abandoned the principles underpinning the Republic that Fine Gael founded in 1949 by
distorting the power and resources of the State for the benefit of the few, not the many. It allowed special
interests to crowd out the public interest. It pushed the interests of citizens behind those of powerful
elites.
The next Government must pick up the pieces. It must steer the country away from bankruptcy by solving
the debt crisis in a way that protects the most vulnerable and distributes the burden fairly. It must also
broaden the tax base in a way that keeps Ireland an attractive location to work, raise a family, invest and
create jobs.
None of this will be easy. It could take a decade to fix many of Ireland’s problems. But it must be done.
Changing the politicians around the cabinet table is necessary to restore confidence in Ireland’s
Government, but that alone will not be enough to put the country back on track. What are also needed are
fundamental changes in the structures and systems of the State itself to improve the quality of governance
experienced by the country. It is these fundamental changes that form the basis of this manifesto, all linked
together by a 5-Point Plan that will:
1. Help protect and create jobs
2. Keep taxes low while fixing the deficit;
3. Deliver smaller, better government;
4. Create a completely new, fairer, more efficient health system; and
5. Overhaul the way our political system works to stamp out cronyism and low standards.
Those who founded the State sought to create the economic foundations for our political independence.
The purpose of the next Government, and the next generation, will be to turn again to that task. I commend
this Manifesto to you as an important step on this journey.

Enda Kenny
Leader
Fine Gael

2 l Fine Gael Manifesto

Cuirimis Éire ag obair
Tá Éire ag brath anois ar dhea-mhéin Rialtas eile agus ar dhea-mhéin instiúidí idirnáisiúnta chun
ár Stát a mhaoiniú. Is léiriú é an chailliúint ollmhór muiníne atá ag na margaí agus ag an gcóras
polaitiúil idirnáisiúnta as ní amháin polasaithe eacnamaíochta an Rialtais dheireannaigh ach as an
mbealach a oibríonn Éire mar thír ar an staid tragóideach ina bhfuil an tír seo ag an tráth seo inár
stair.
Tá an turnamh eacnamaíochta atá feicthe againn tar éis muinín na saoránach, ní amháin as na bainc
neamhscrupallacha, ach as ionracas ár gcóras polaitíochta agus as na hinstiúidí a cuireadh ar bun chun
muid a chosaint, chun cabhrú linn agus chun freastal orainn, mar An Rialtóir Airgeadais, Feidhmeannacht
na Seirbhísí Sláinte agus FÁS a scrios.
Taobh thiar de smionagar ár gcóras baincéireachta, ár seirbhís sláinte, ár gcaiteachas poiblí agus an
margadh fostaíochta tá cultúr compordach measúil agus caighdeáin isle tar éis dul i bhfeidhm ag barr ár
gcóras polaitiúil agus ár gcóras seirbhís poiblí faoi na Rialtais dheireannacha.
Is cultúr é a thug droim láimhe dona prionsabail atá mar bhunchloch ag an bPoblacht a bhunaigh Fine Gael
sa bhliain 1949 tré chumhacht agus achmhainní an Stáit a úsáid ar mhaithe le mionlach an phobail, in ionad
an mhóraimh. Cuireadh leas na ngrúpaí cumhachtacha in áit leas an phobail. Bhrúigh sé leas na saoránach
ar chúl leas na ndreamanna cumhachtacha.
Caithfidh an Rialtas nua an tír a atógáil. Caithfidh sé an tír a stiúradh ó bheith bancbhriste tré géarchéim na
bhfiacha a réiteach ar bhealach a chosnóidh na daoine is leochailí inár sochaí agus a dháilfidh an t-ualach go
cothrom. Caithfidh sé chomh maith cáin a ghearradh ar bhealach a choimeádann an tír seo tarraingteach
mar áit chun fostaíocht d’fháil, clann a thógáil, infheistíocht a dhéanamh agus postanna a chruthú.
Níl aon bhealach éasca ann chun é seo a thabhairt i gcrích. B’fhéidir go dtógfaidh sé tréimhse deich mbliana
chun a lán d’fhadhbanna na hÉireann a réiteach. Ach, caithfear é a dhéanamh.
Ní mór na polaiteoirí atá san Aireacht a athrú chun muinín as Rialtas na hÉireann a athbhunú, ach ní leor
é sin amháin chun an tír a chur ar an mbóthar ceart. Tá gá again chomh maith le hathruithe bunúsacha
ar structúir agus ar chórais an Stáit féin chun caighdeán an rialaithe sa tír a fheabhsú. Is iad na hathruithe
bunúsacha seo is bun leis an bhForógra seo. Tá siad ar fad nascaithe le chéile ag Plean 5-Phoinnte a
thabharfaidh na haidhmeanna seo a leanas i gcrích
1. Cabhróidh sé chun postanna a chosaint agus a chruthú
2. Coimeádfaidh sé cánacha íseal ach laghdóidh sé an bhearna sa chaiteachas poiblí;
3. Cuirfidh sé rialtas níos fearr agus níos lú ar fail;
4. Cruthóidh sé córas sláinte iomlán nua agus níos cothroime agus níos éifeachtaí;
5. Athchóróidh sé an córas polaitiúil chun deireadh a chur le caighdeáin isle.
Theastaigh uathu siúd a bhunaigh an Stát bunchloch eacnamaíochta a leagan sios dár neamhspleáchas
polaitiúil. ‘Sé aidhm an chéad Rialtas eile, agus an chéad ghlúin eile, ná díriú arís ar an obair sin. Molaim an
Forógra seo daoibh mar chéim tábhachtach ar an turas seo.

Enda Ó Cionnaith
Ceannaire
Fine Gael

Fine Gael Manifesto l 3

FINE GAEL’S 5 POINT-PLAN
FOR RECOVERY
1. GROWTH AND JOBS
Fine Gael’s number one priority in Government will be JOBS. The ESRI believes that 100,000 jobs can be
created over 5 years by Ireland returning to 3% growth. As outlined in our jobs policy, Working for Our
Future, Fine Gael will ensure this happens by investing in key infrastructure and establishing the right
conditions for private sector job growth. Our goal is to make Ireland, as it was in the late 1990s, one of the
best countries in the world for doing business. (See section 15)
Fine Gael believes the jobs crisis is the biggest challenge facing Ireland:
First, because of the social misery it is causing: Over the last three years 300,000 people have lost their
jobs - the biggest fall in employment in the OECD - while 100,000 mostly young people will emigrate over
the next two years. Emigration must not become a permanent feature of Irish life.
Second, because we will never fix the deficit unless we get the economy growing. The Government
has no jobs plan. Its only strategy is to pump tens of billions of Euros into the banks, cut the deficit largely
through job-destroying tax increases, and hope for the best. Yet no country has ever taxed or cut itself
back to recovery.
Fine Gael has a clear, credible jobs plan. We will create over 45,000 additional work experience, training,
and internship opportunities, and increase total employment by at least 100,000 jobs by:
	
1. Focusing on budget cuts rather than job-destroying tax increases. The international evidence is
clear: Tax hikes raise the unemployment rate by three times more than spending cuts.
2. Investing in the future. Our NewERA plan will invest an extra €7 billion in energy, communications
and water to give Ireland the world class infrastructure it needs to compete. Since it will be funded
in significant part through the sale of non-strategic state assets it will not increase the Government
deficit. NewERA will give Ireland a high-speed broadband network with speeds in the top 5 of the
OECD, a “smart” energy grid that will allow us to meet national targets for renewable energy and carbon
reduction, and a water system that doesn’t waste tens of millions ever year through leakages.
3. Supporting small and medium businesses. We will establish a new partial loan guarantee scheme
which will give small businesses the credit they desperately need. We will overhaul public procurement
so that small companies can bid for business, and give tenants the right to have their commercial rents
reviewed irrespective of any upward only or other review clauses. We will reduce costs by opening
up the closed parts of the economy to competition and target a €500 million reduction in red tape for
business.
4. Focusing on key growth sectors. These include education (we will introduce a new more focused
strategy to attract international students); digital media (we want Ireland to become a world class
player in digital gaming); tourism (we will abolish the travel tax if the airlines agree to re-open closed
routes); and food (Fine Gael will introduce a number of proposals to position Ireland as the “Green Food
Island”).

4 l Fine Gael Manifesto

2. FAIR DEFICIT REDUCTION
As stated in our banking policy, Credit Where Credit is Due, Fine Gael will reduce the budget deficit to
3% by 2014. We want Ireland by 2016 to be borrowing only for investment purposes. Unless the deficit is
brought under control in this way, interest costs will cripple Ireland.
Under a Fine Gael Government, tax increases will constitute at most one-third of our measures to reduce
the deficit, with any tax increases focused on areas which have a minimal impact on jobs. We will not
increase income taxes, the 12.5% rate of corporation tax or taxes on jobs (employers’ PRSI). We will,
however, either eliminate or restrict all of the tax shelters and tax exemptions that allow the better off to
avoid paying their fair share of taxes. (See section 18)
Fine Gael believes that the IMF/EU bail-out deal has not and will not restore investor confidence in our
country, and must therefore be renegotiated to reduce the interest rate and to ensure a fairer sharing of
the cost of fixing Ireland’s broken banks. The current deal is bad for Ireland – and bad for Europe.
• Bad for Ireland. The financial markets are closed to Ireland principally because investors are concerned
that any more capital injections into the banks – the cost so far is €100 billion – will sink the Irish
economy.
• Bad for Europe. Our EU partners want Ireland to return to the financial markets as soon as possible.
However, it is difficult to see how this can happen unless the market’s concerns about the banking bailout
are addressed directly.
Fine Gael favours spending reductions over tax increases not for ideological reasons, but because the
experience of other countries shows that tax hikes raise the unemployment rate by three times more
than spending cuts. Some argue that there is no further room for savings in Government spending. We
disagree:
• First, Ireland’s total spending (‘General Government’) as a percentage of GNP is still higher than the
EU average, even after recent budget cuts.
• Second, a great deal of spending over the last few years has been wasted. Many state institutions, the
HSE being the most obvious, have seen huge increases in their budgets but relatively little improvement
in their services.
• Third, Canada and Sweden in the 1990s showed that it is absolutely possible to cut spending
while still growing the economy and protecting frontline services. The secret of their success was to
ensure that cuts were introduced as part of a comprehensive reform of public services. This is exactly the
approach which Fine Gael is adopting.
By cutting down on waste and inefficiency Fine Gael will keep the Old Age Contributory and NonContributory Pension at its 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 Manifesto l 5

3. SMALLER BETTER GOVERNMENT
Fine Gael is convinced that the public sector has a crucial role to play in Ireland’s future. We reject totally
the idea that its contribution to Ireland can or should be captured in a narrow profit and loss statement.
Public service is about enriching the lives of people and helping the most vulnerable in our society, not
about making a profit. But as Fine Gael’s Reinventing Government document outlines, reform is essential.
(See section 19)
• Government must become smaller. Ireland’s fiscal crisis means there is simply no other choice.
Government has to deliver better value in order to reduce the deficit, avoid job-destroying tax increases
and protect frontline services
• Government must perform better. All too often state institutions have prioritised the interests of the
providers and the insiders over the public interest.
A Fine Gael Government will cut costs and increase productivity through a root and branch reform
programme which will generate savings of over €5 billion, or 1 euro in every 10 spent by public bodies. To
do this Fine Gael will among other things:
1. Cut the number of politicians by 1/3rd and reduce back office staff working in government
departments. Our goal is to reduce total public service headcount by 30,000 by 2014 compared to 2010.
There will be no compulsory redundancies. We will also set a salary cap of €200,000 for everyone.
2. Abolish 145 state bodies and companies. This will include the gradual dismantlement of the HSE and
FÁS, and the creation of a single, more powerful Competition, Consumer and Utilities Commission to
champion the consumer, rather than the big monopolies.
3. Implement a majority of the non social-welfare recommendations from the McCarthy Report. We
will also follow Canada and Sweden by undertaking a full comprehensive spending review which will
eliminate non-priority programmes.
4. Establish new shared services for Human Resources, Information Technology and Legal Services.
This will allow 10% to be cut from the administration budgets of all departments and public bodies.;
and
5. Deliver at least 80% of the spending savings recommended by the Local Government Efficiency
Review, e.g., through more shared services.
Fine Gael will reform Ireland’s hugely over-centralised model of government. A Fine Gael Government
will give frontline staff greater freedom in how they do their job and ensure that citizens have more control
over services delivered to them. We will give local authorities more responsibilities and more control over
their own funding. We will create a “one stop shop” for all entitlements and introduce Personal Budgets for
individuals, particularly in health, so they can choose the services they want and need.
We will also open up government and make it more accountable. All appointments at senior level will
be opened up to external competition, with one-third of appointments reserved for external candidates for
a 5-year period. The annual work objectives of the top 1,300 civil servants will be published online. There
will be no “golden handshakes” for those who fail to deliver.

6 l Fine Gael Manifesto

4. A New Politics
Fine Gael’s New Politics is the most ambitious programme for political reform since the 1930s. Our view
is simple: Politicians cannot ask others to change and make sacrifices if they are not prepared to do the
same. 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. In addition ministers’ salaries will be reduced, political expenses fully
vouched for and severance payments for ministers axed. No political pensions will be paid to sitting TDs
and no retired politician will get a political pension until the national retirement age. Politics must be about
service to the public, not financial gain for politicians. (See section 17)
A Fine Gael Government will hold a referendum on CONSTITUTION DAY within 12 months of assuming
office at which the people will be asked to approve the abolition of the Seanad and other changes to
the articles of the constitution covering the institutions of the state – principally the Executive, the Dáil,
the Presidency and the Judiciary. This referendum will not address the articles dealing with rights/social
policy.
Fine Gael believes that an over-powerful Executive has turned the Dáil into an observer of the political
process rather than a central player and that this must be changed. We will:
• Amend the constitution to give Dáil committees full powers of investigation. The Abbeylara Supreme
Court decision currently limits the ability of Dáil committees to hold investigations into crucial issues of
public concern, such as the banking crisis.
• Reduce the number of committees and give key committees constitutional standing. The Dáil needs
fewer but stronger committees, resourced properly.
• De-politicise their work. Chairs of committees will be assigned on a more proportional basis, while
legislation will typically be introduced in a heads of Bill format to increase the chance of cross-party
support.
• Initiation of legislation and guillotines. We will give committees the power to introduce legislation,
while a new 10 Minute Rule will allow backbench TDs to introduce their own Bills. We will also tackle the
huge over-use of guillotines to ram through non-emergency legislation.
Fine Gael believes there must also be a real shift in power from the state to the citizen.
• Fine Gael has already published an Open Government Bill. It will significantly strengthen Freedom
of Information; establish a “whistleblowers charter”; register all lobbyists; and create a new Electoral
Commission.
• We will establish a Citizens Assembly, along the lines of those used in the Netherlands, to make
recommendations on electoral reform. We will also introduce a petitions system for the Dáil.
• We will strengthen local government. We will move many of the functions currently being performed
by agencies back to Local Government and ensure that all property-related revenues are part of the
income stream of Local Government.
• Fine Gael will reduce the voting age to 17 and give eligible citizens the right to vote at Irish
embassies in the Presidential election. If this experiment is deemed a success Fine Gael will consider
extending this practice to general elections.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 7

5. Healthcare for All
FairCare is the most ambitious plan for health reform since the establishment of the state. Longer waiting
times, a record number of patients on A&E trolleys and huge hikes in insurance premiums all point to a
system in desperate need of change. FairCare will end Fianna Fail’s and Mary Harney’s privatisation strategy
and address two key challenges:
• High but Inefficient Spending: Between 1997 and 2009 spending on health more than quadrupled.
While spending per capita is in line with Germany, France and Sweden, the 2009 Euro Health Index
Consumer (EHIC) ranks Ireland only 24th for value for money. The Netherlands is 4th in Europe as a whole
and 1st in the original EU 15.
• A Demographic Time-bomb: Our population is one of the youngest in Europe. Without reform, health
spending, according to the VHI, will have to increase to €37 billion by 2020 to meet greater demand from
an ageing population. Ireland’s tax take now is only €33 billion!
FairCare will gradually dismantle the HSE and replace it with a system of Universal Health Insurance (UHI)
starting in 2016, based on the very efficient Dutch model of healthcare. Ireland will have a strong public
health system in which the State guarantees equal access for all to quality healthcare with the insurance
companies administering the system. Once UHI is introduced the unfair and inefficient two-tier health
system will be eliminated. Every citizen will have private health insurance with the state paying for
children/students and those on medical cards. It will subsidise those with low income. Public hospitals will
remain under public ownership but will be given much more freedom to run themselves. (See section 13)
Prior to the introduction of UHI Fine Gael will introduce a series of reforms to make the system more
efficient and fairer. This will allow us to minimise the impact of budget cuts on frontline services.
1. Cost Savings: Fine Gael will reduce the headcount by 8,000 through natural retirement and a voluntary
redundancy programme. We will pay hospitals for the number of patients they treat rather than
giving block grants (Money Follows the Patient) which will increase productivity by up to 10%. We will
accelerate the transfer of chronic disease management from hospitals to primary care. This will save
several hundred million once introduced and help fund the construction of more primary care centres
throughout the country. We will cut drugs costs further through various reforms.
2. Driving towards free GP care for all: As part of our preparation for UHI, we will look at a number of
ways to widen access to free GP care as finances permit, including increasing the number of people who
have a GP Visit Card. Fine Gael will also enter discussions with the insurers to see how cover for GP care
can be extended by them to their clients at reasonable cost. We will open up the General Medical Services
(GMS) contract to all suitable qualified doctors to increase competition and reduce costs.
3. Reduced Waiting Lists: We will establish a Special Delivery Unit (SDU), reporting directly to the Minister,
to better manage waiting lists. A similar approach in Northern Ireland significantly reduced waiting
lists.
4. A More Competitive Insurance Market: Fine Gael will introduce risk equalisation to make the system
fairer, tackle the VHI’s dominant market position, and encourage new entrants into the market.

8 l Fine Gael Manifesto

1. Agriculture and Seafood
The agri-food sector has huge potential to contribute to export-led economic recovery. Agri-food exports
are worth almost €8 billion sustaining over 150,000 jobs and 128,000 farms. But the agri-food industry has
seen farming income fall by 40% between 2007 and 2009, three times more than the EU average. Farm
incomes have recovered somewhat in the past year but the average still rests at approximately €16,500,
significantly lower than the average industrial wage. Fine Gael will provide agri-food businesses with the
environment needed to position Ireland as a world leader in the food industry.

1.1	

A Decent Living for Farmers

Fair Trade: Removing unfair practices which hinder competition will lower food prices for consumers and
will give producers a fairer price for their produce. We will enact a Fair Trade Act, which will ban a number
of unfair trading practices in the retail sector such as ‘hello money’ which suppliers have to pay to get their
goods on supermarket shelves.
Competition, Consumer and Utilities Commission: To save taxpayers’ money and to streamline
resources, Fine Gael will merge the Competition Authority, the National Consumer Agency (NCA),
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) and the
Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) into a single, more powerful Competition, Consumer and Utilities
Commission. We will seek to empower this new over-arching regulator and consumer champion to enforce
our Fair Trade Act.
Farm Gate Schemes: Fine Gael recognises the contribution that farm gate schemes make to farm incomes
and will do the utmost to protect farm-gate supports from further cuts.
AEOS: Fine Gael particularly values the contribution that agri-environment schemes play as an income
support for farmers. We will investigate the possibility of expanding the Agri-Environment Options Scheme
(AEOS) to those farmers locked out of the scheme following the conclusion of their REPS 3 contracts by
delivering efficiencies within the current budgetary framework.

1.2	

Promoting Farming Interests in Europe

	
CAP Reform: Fine Gael is committed to negotiating a fair deal for Irish farmers and will use our membership
in the European People’s Party, the strongest political grouping in Europe, to campaign for a good deal
for Ireland under the Common Agricultural Policy. Our primary aim is to secure a fair overall budget for
agriculture under the renegotiated CAP. We will also prioritise a Single Farm Payment system which best
benefits active farmers and the Irish system of production.
Trade Negotiations: Domestic economic problems must not overshadow emerging threats from ongoing
trade negotiations. Fine Gael will work with our partners in the European People’s Party to avoid any
damage to the agricultural sector from future trade deals.
Market Volatility: We will negotiate a pragmatic approach in the EU to address the impact of volatility in
commodity prices on producers.

1.3	

Positioning Ireland as a world leader in agri-food

A More Efficient Department: The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has traditionally acted
as a payment processing facility rather than a driver of growth in the agri-food industry. We will move
responsibility for agri-payments to a new one-stop-shop under our Reinventing Government proposals.
We will also develop a new innovation unit in the Department to drive new policy initiatives in the agrifood industry.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 9

Added Value Products: We will develop a stronger, collaborative approach to food research and will
amend the R&D tax credit regime to make it more attractive and accessible to smaller businesses.
Marketing Ireland: We will develop a single brand for our agri-food sector globally, to market Ireland as
a Food Island.
Regional Branding: We will encourage co-operation between Bord Bia and local business support
centres to give small businesses assistance in developing individual food brands and will seek protected
geographical indicator status for indigenous foods, which will help Irish products to increase exports.
Food Tourism: We will develop a culinary tourism strategy through Fáilte Ireland to sell Ireland’s network
of artisan food producers, cookery schools and restaurants.

1.4	

Reforming Rules and Regulations

Freedom to Farm: We will conduct an audit of existing regulations for farmers to identify ways of reducing
the burden of compliance without compromising on animal welfare, environmental or food safety
standards.
Agri-proof EU legislation: We will examine new EU rules for any practical difficulties before finalisation in
the EU, through a new European Legislation Committee.

1.5	

Food Safety

Single Food Safety Agency: Building on the existing Food Safety Authority, Fine Gael will create a single
food safety monitoring agency responsible for food safety inspection from farm to fork. This will enhance
the food traceability system and reduce the burden of red tape on business. Food safety is paramount in
maintaining Ireland’s reputation internationally as a producer of healthy food. However, there are currently
too many different agencies involved in food safety including the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, local
authorities, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Children, the Health Services
Executive and Sea Fisheries Protection Authority.

1.6	

Enhancing the competitiveness of Irish Agri-food Businesses

Reducing Labour Costs: Fine Gael will review Employment Regulation Orders (EROs) to deliver a more
competitive environment for job creation in the agri-food sector. We will allow farmers to negotiate
a collective agreement at farm level with their staff which would exempt them from the ERO but not
minimum wage and other employment protections.
Business Inspections: We will cut down on inspections for small business by rationalising the existing
structures dealing with health and safety laws and labour laws. We will cut the red-tape burden for small
businesses by 25%.
Greater Access to Public Procurement: Fine Gael will ensure small Irish businesses including those in
the agri-food sector are given every opportunity to win valuable public sector contracts for goods and
services.
Carbon Tax: Fine Gael will exempt farm diesel from further increases in the carbon tax.

1.7	

Encouraging Young People in the Agri-Food Industry

Young Farmers: Fine Gael will increase the educational opportunities available to young people interested
in a career in farming or in the agri-food sector through our agricultural colleges and third level institutions,

10 l Fine Gael Manifesto

as well as practical workplace opportunities in agri-food businesses.
New Farm Models: We will review current farm partnership arrangements with the Office of the Revenue
Commissioners to identify reasons for the poor take up of this model. We will publish revised arrangements
for farm partnerships and shared farming arrangements and promote new models through Teagasc.
CAP Reform: We recognise the need to support young, active farmers. Fine Gael will work with the
European Commission to ensure that the value of young farmers in ensuring a sustainable agricultural
sector within the EU is a key policy of the CAP.
Tax Commitments: Stock relief is an important benefit for young farmers at a time when other incentives
and supports have been abolished. We will maintain the existing relief.
SME Loan Guarantee Scheme: We will introduce a partial loan guarantee scheme for small and medium
sized businesses, including sustainable small agri-food enterprises.

1.8	

Animal Welfare

Outdated Legislation: We will enact new animal welfare legislation to update existing animal welfare
rules which are outdated and need to be reformed.
All-island Approach: We will encourage greater co-operation across the island of Ireland on animal
welfare issues.

1.9	

Food Labelling

Single Irish Food Label: We will introduce a single food label for all Irish produce, which will be simple
and easily recognisable in both domestic and international markets and will emphasise Ireland’s ability to
produce green, quality, healthy food.
Country of Origin: We will seek final agreement at an EU level on an extension of country of origin labels
to a broader range of food products.
Nutritional Information: To promote quality Irish products as part of a healthy lifestyle, we will work with
industry to introduce a Guideline Daily Amounts label for a broader range of food products.

1.10	 Protecting the Environment through Renewable Opportunities
Forestry: We will deliver an afforestation programme of almost 15,000 hectares of forestry per annum
through our NewERA plan, creating new jobs for rural communities.
Biomass: We will merge Coillte and Bord na Mona into a new company called Bioenergy and Forestry Ireland
which will expand Ireland’s position in biomass. This will not only create additional jobs for rural Ireland but
will also provide farmers with a very real market opportunity for renewable crops.
Anaerobic Digestion: We will develop a new agriculture energy and land use policy for the country and
will investigate opportunities for anaerobic digestion as a means of producing electricity and providing an
added income option for farmers.
Sugar Production: We will carry out a feasibility study into the possibility of redeveloping the sugar beet
sector, particularly with a view to the possibilities for biofuel production.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 11

1.11	 Supporting the Seafood Sector and Marine
Expanding the Industry: Fine Gael believes Ireland, as an island nation with a strong and valued fishing
tradition has huge potential to succeed as a serious competitor in the international seafood sector. The
seafood industry currently generates annual revenues of €718 million and provides direct employment for
11,000 people. With an estimated 40 million tonnes of seafood to be required annually by 2030, there is
significant scope for further expansion.
Common Fisheries Policy: We will negotiate the best possible deal for Irish fishermen in the context of the
ongoing review of the Common Fisheries Policy. Our priorities are:
• A progressive reduction of discards, fishery by fishery and in all maritime regions in the EU.
• Protection of the Hague Preferences.
• A uniform and transparent regulation regime.
• A clear, independently audited database of infringements across the EU.
• The development of a sustainable aquaculture plan.
• A strong focus on seafood marketing, labelling and country of origin to ensure imports meet the same
standards on safety, hygiene, traceability, recall, information and audit.
Sea Fisheries Bill: We will publish legislation to replace the criminal sanctions system for minor
fisheries offences with an administrative sanction system to bring Ireland into line with other European
jurisdictions.
Funding for Fisheries: Fianna Fáil and Green Party in-fighting has limited Ireland’s ability to draw down EU
funds for seafood development. We will resolve difficulties blocking the drawdown of available funds.
Aquaculture Licensing: An additional 42 million tonnes of farmed seafood will be required to keep pace
with demand each year by 2030, just 20 years away. We must increase our raw material supply and expand
our aquaculture sector. We will remove administrative obstacles and clear the backlog of aquaculture
licences currently preventing the creation of thousands of jobs in the aquaculture sector.
Value Added Products: Currently, 85% of all Irish seafood is commodity traded. There is a significant
opportunity to generate more value from this raw material base. Fine Gael will task Bord Iascaigh Mhara
with assisting Irish companies in adding value to their products through innovation.
Single Food Label: We will create and market a single label for all Irish produce and will drive a targeted
marketing campaign to grow the Irish brand in new markets.

1.12 	 Steering the Marine
Marine Department: Marine and fisheries policy is currently spread across three Departments. Fine Gael
will merge these responsibilities under one Department for better co-ordination in policy delivery.
National Marine and Coastal Plan: We will develop an integrated marine and coastal planning process to
reach the full potential of our coastline in fishing, aquaculture, ocean energy and tourism.
Ports Development: We will support the development of our ports and marine sector as important drivers
of economic growth. We will also replace the Boards of all State Port companies and Harbour Commissions
within one year of entering government.

12 l Fine Gael Manifesto

2. Arts, Culture and Sports
Ireland’s creative industries contribute massively to the economy, raising hundreds of millions annually
and supporting thousands of jobs. Most importantly, the sector promotes a positive view of the country
internationally in difficult times. Fine Gael appreciates how important this sector is to Ireland’s reputation
and the role the industry will play in rebuilding Ireland’s reputation globally in the future as a centre of
innovation.

2.1	

Core Supports

Arts Funding: Fine Gael is committed to supporting the Arts and will do the utmost to maintain funding
to Arts organisations at adequate levels to support the industry and protect investment in existing Arts
infrastructure.
Struggling Artists: We will review the mechanisms in place to support struggling artists to ensure
available resources are targeted at those most in need of assistance.
Skills Development: We will encourage stronger linkages between Arts organisations and the business
community to develop skills in fundraising, business planning and grasping sponsorship opportunities and
networking opportunities. We will build on existing initiatives such as the ‘New Stream’ programme which
supports the creative industries through private investment in training and skills development.

2.2	

Arts in Education

Arts and Education Collaboration: We recognise the role that the Arts must play in education and are
committed to the delivery of Arts education. We will strive to deliver better access for students to the Arts
through stronger links between educational institutions and the Arts sector and in particular between
schools and regularly funded Arts organsiations supported by the Arts Council.
Best Practice: We will investigate Arts in education models such as the ‘Cultural Rucksack’ in Norway, which
have succeeded in bridging problems in accessing the Arts, particularly for those from disadvantaged
communities.

2.3	

Philanthropy and Sponsorship

Private Investment in the Arts: Fine Gael will work with stakeholders in the Arts community to develop
new proposals aimed at building private support of the Arts in Ireland. We will develop a strategy in
consultation with the sector for the exploitation of philanthropic, sponsorship or foundation support
opportunities.

2.4	

Building on Ireland’s Creative Edge

Film Industry: We will ensure Ireland remains a tax competitive destination for the development of film
by extending the Section 481 Film Relief to 2016.
Expanding the Irish Gaming Industry: Fine Gael will allocate funding from the Innovation Fund Ireland
to Irish digital gaming start-ups. In the last seven years, jobs in the gaming industry have grown four-fold
to 1,400 people. Ireland must use its reputation as a technological leader to assist indigenous gaming
companies to expand and develop new products and technology.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 13

2.5	

Putting Culture at the Heart of National Identity

Commemorative Events: We will develop a cultural plan for future commemorative events such as the
Centenary of the Easter Rising in 2016.
UNESCO City of Literature: Ireland’s literary tradition and modern successes is one of the strongest selling
points of the Arts industry. We will maximise the tourism potential that Dublin’s recent designation as a
UNESCO City of Literature offers the country.

2.6	

Arts at a Local Level

Local Arts Plans: Fine Gael will facilitate Local Authorities to co-operate to develop cultural tourism
opportunities, supporting local jobs and businesses and ensuring regional Arts and cultural centres around
the country are properly utilised.
Local Authority Arts Officers: We will encourage greater co-operation between local authorities to
provide assistance where possible for local authorities currently lacking a local authority Arts officer due to
recruitment restrictions.
Touring: We will encourage the Arts Council to continue to dedicate resources to touring in order to
protect the State’s investment in regional Arts infrastructure around the country and to bring cultural
tourism opportunities to towns and villages across the country.

2.7	

Sport

Fine Gael is firmly committed to the continued development of sport in this country. At a time of economic
difficulty, sporting events and successes are vital in lifting the country’s spirits and are a proud reflection
of our nation’s potential for success. We appreciate the important contribution that sport also makes to
building a healthy nation. In Government, Fine Gael will promote greater participation in sport and will
provide the environment for our athletes to succeed on the international stage.
National Sports Audit: We will publish a National Sports Facility Audit to identify where gaps in sporting
infrastructure exist. This audit will inform any future investment on sports infrastructure.
Representative Bodies: We recognise the role of the various sporting organisations in developing high
performance individual athletes and sporting participation at all levels across the country and will ensure
available funds are distributed fairly amongst those in most need of assistance.
GAA Players Grants: We will continue to provide support for GAA players through the Irish Sports
Council.
Good Governance: In consultation with sporting organisations, we will develop a code of good
governance for sport. We will also encourage engagement with alternative dispute resolution mechanisms
to avoid costly court proceedings where disputes arise.
IRFU: We will not implement ‘free to air’ proposals on Six Nations and Heineken Cup games.
Sports Tourism: We will investigate the possibility of developing a specific sport event bidding entity,
mirroring initiatives like Sport Event Denmark, which has been very successful in bidding for international
sporting events and generating revenue from sports tourism.
Philanthropy: We will review any obstacles to philanthropy in sport and will encourage sporting
organisations to seek private investment opportunities where possible.

14 l Fine Gael Manifesto

EU Funding: We will support sporting organisations in bidding for available EU Sports Funding.
Increasing Participation: We will encourage greater co-ordination between National Governing Bodies
and Local Sports Partnerships to increase participation in sports and reaching out to under-represented
groups and the unemployed. Fine Gael will encourage and promote mass participation in sport.
Cross Departmental Approach: We will ensure greater co-ordination and co-operation between the
Departments of Sport, Health and Education so that issues like obesity and physical education in schools
can be tackled in a structured way.
Special Olympics Ireland: We will support Special Olympics Ireland in furthering opportunities for people
with learning disabilities to participate in high quality sport and development activities that bring life
changing experiences of increased skills and self-confidence.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 15

3. Banking and Debt Distress
Banking is built on trust. But reckless lending by – and to – Irish banks during the property boom,
encouraged by an irresponsible Government that put its election prospects over the stability of the Irish
economy, means that Irish banks have lost the trust of depositors, investors and society at large.
And the response of the banks and the Government to the crisis has made matters worse. Committing €100
billion of taxpayers’ money to the banks so that they can repay their foreign debts while starving the Irish
economy of credit has made the recession far deeper than it needed to be.
The current IMF-EU bail-out plan signed has not – and will not – restore confidence in Ireland, because at
its heart is a commitment to continue the failed banking policies of the present Government.
A Fine Gael Government will make our banking system an engine of economic recovery by restoring public
and market confidence in its financial health, management competence and ethical integrity.

3.1	A Fairer Sharing of the Cost of Restructuring and Funding Irish
Banks
Re-negotiating the EU-IMF Programme of Support: Borrowing up to €25 billion in additional funds from
the EU / IMF at 5.8% to cover additional bank losses from fire-sales of loans and other bank assets at rockbottom prices, as this Government has agreed, will push Irish Government debt towards unsustainable
levels and hinder economic recovery, threatening the stability of the entire euro area.
A Fine Gael Government will seek a mandate from the Irish people to renegotiate a more credible, fairer
package that is better for Ireland and Europe.
A Transparent Assessment of the Capital Needs of Irish Banks: We will defer further recapitalisations
of Irish banks until the completion of the Prudential Capital Assessment Review, which is expected to be
available within weeks of the formation of a new Government. It makes sense to know the size of the
hole in the banks before committing further taxpayer resources. This might also make it possible for the
stronger banks to reduce the taxpayers’ exposure by raising private capital.
European Support for Bank Recapitalisation: We will seek to re-negotiate the terms of reference of the
European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) and / or European Financial Stability Mechanism (EFSM) to allow
them to take equity stakes in systemically important European banks, such as AIB and Bank of Ireland. A
similar option is that Ireland could buy “insurance” from the EU against the risk that losses in Irish banks
will be significantly greater than projected under the PCAR exercise.
Agreed Procedures for Restructuring the Debts of Troubled Banks: Fine Gael in Government will force
certain classes of bond-holders to share in the cost of recapitalising troubled financial institutions. This will
be done unilaterally for the most junior bondholders (owners of preference shares, sub-ordinated debt
and similar instruments), but could be extended – as part of a European-wide framework – for senior debt,
focusing on insolvent institutions like Anglo Irish and Irish Nationwide that have no systemic importance.
A More Sustainable Funding Solution for Irish Banks: Irish banks need to shrink their balance sheets
to reduce their dependence on volatile non-deposit funding sources. We will seek to collaborate with U.S.
regulatory authorities to collate the dollar assets of Irish banks (up to $50 billion) that could be used as
security to secure funding from the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Long-Term EU Funding for Irish Banks: Rather than selling assets at fire-sale prices with the losses
covered by already over-stretched Irish taxpayers, we will negotiate with the EU/ECB to fund – on a

16 l Fine Gael Manifesto

longer-term basis – the transfer at par value of relatively-secure Irish bank loan books – such as tracker
mortgages – into a “warehouse” or Special Purpose Vehicle. This might involve the EU funds buying longterm bonds to fund such entities. This would shrink the Irish banks to a size where they can fund most of
their remaining loan books through deposits, helping to address market concerns about their long-term
liquidity position.

3.2	Re-Building a Competitive, Well-Managed, Privately-Owned
Banking System
Putting the Government Back in Charge of Restructuring the Banking Sector: We will establish and
staff with the necessary expertise a new banking policy division in the Department of Finance to manage,
from one central point, the efforts of the Central Bank, the NTMA and the banks’ management themselves
to repair the Irish banking system.
Promoting New Leadership and Management in the Banks: A Fine Gael Government will accelerate
the replacement of directors and senior managers in the Irish banks. To expedite this change-over we will
openly construct a pool of globally experienced, turn-around managers and directors to be inserted into
key executive and non-executive positions in banks receiving taxpayer support.
Banks Should Squeeze Their Costs before Their Customers: The cost-income ratios of AIB and Bank
of Ireland are still out of line with comparable European banks. A Fine Gael Government will direct any
mortgage provider in receipt of State support to present it with a plan within 100 days of coming into
Office of how it intends to cut its wage bill and other costs – over and above existing plans – in a fair
manner by a sufficient amount to forego a 25 basis point increase on their variable rate mortgages. This
plan should include a new, lower pay cap for senior staff and a verifiable commitment to suspend all bonus
payments until the banks are no longer in receipt of State support.
Returning Viable Banks to Private Ownership: Fine Gael will complete the sale of EBS to a new, private
owner, and will support the new institution as a lynchpin for building a third force in Irish banking to
compete against AIB and Bank of Ireland in the business and personal banking markets. We will consider
selling AIB to a large, foreign bank in order to bring access to new funding and capital for Irish enterprises,
and to address market concerns about the threat to the national finances from the banking system. We will
seek to retain Bank of Ireland under domestic ownership and control, and will give individual Irish citizens
an option to buy the State’s shares at a strike price that, at the very least, recovers the investment made
by taxpayers.
Shutting Down Dead Banks: Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide have no further role to play in the Irish
economy. A Fine Gael Government will wind up both institutions by the end of 2011, by transferring their
remaining assets and deposits to other financial institutions or other asset recovery vehicles as appropriate.
Further losses incurred in this process will be shared with remaining bondholders.
A Healthy Credit Union Movement: Fine Gael recognises the important role of credit unions as a volunteer
co-operative movement and the distinction between them and other types of financial institutions. In
Government, we will establish a Commission to review the future of the credit union movement and
make recommendations in relation to the most effective regulatory structure for Credit Unions, taking into
account their not-for-profit mandate, their volunteer ethos and community focus, while paying due regard
to the need to fully protect depositors savings and financial stability.

3.3	

Supporting New Lending to Firms and Households

Mortgage Lending to First Time Buyers: The housing market will not be recover unless First Time Buyers
have access to mortgage credit to enter the market. Working with the regulatory authorities and the
industry, a Fine Gael Government will encourage new funding for Irish mortgage lending again by drawing

Fine Gael Manifesto l 17

a line under past practices and creating a new brand or status around the Irish mortgage market that puts
the quality of Irish mortgages beyond any question in international markets. With this aim in mind, and
drawing from best international practice, we will introduce new universal Mortgage Indemnity Insurance
(‘negative equity insurance’) that provides security for prudent lenders and borrowers against future risks
of negative equity.
Making Sure Banks Deliver on their Lending Promises: We will direct the new Credit Review Office to
publish a delivery audit of the commitments by AIB and Bank of Ireland to make available a total of €12
billion in additional lending to small and medium enterprises in 2010 and 2011.
A Partial Business Loan Guarantee to Support Job Creation: To get banks lending again to industry and
entrepreneurs, a Fine Gael Government will implement a temporary, partial credit guarantee scheme that
will provide a level of insurance to the banks against losses on qualifying loans to job-creating firms.
Micro Finance Start-Up Fund: Drawing from funding from the NPRF and private institutional funds, we
will construct a €100 million Microfinance Start-Up Fund which will provide start-up loans and equity
to new businesses. Private not-for-profit organisations like First Step, Chambers of Commerce or Local
Business Units in the City and County Councils could apply for capital from the Fund for investment in local
start-ups, as part of a necessary move away from non-repayable grants.
Financing for High-Tech, High-Potential Firms: We also support the development of a more dynamic,
venture capital industry in Ireland by attracting top-tier venture financing and investment companies to
Ireland, as recommended by the Report of the Innovation Taskforce. To begin, we will seek negotiations
with Silicon Valley Bank to entice it to establish offices in Ireland. We will also fix the regulatory problems
to allow private pension funds to invest more in Irish business.

3.4	

Supporting Families and Businesses in Debt Distress

Debt Responsibility: A Fine Gael Government will expect every family and every business to do everything
possible to service their debts, and will not ask others to pay the debts of the reckless and dishonest. A mass
Government-imposed mortgage debt forgiveness scheme would close down new lending for First Time
Buyers and further raise interest rates for families on variable rate mortgages. Where, however, families
and businesses have made best efforts and find themselves unable to service their debts, we will support
them through the recession and help re-integrate them back into the economy.
Helping Families in Mortgage Arrears: We will ensure that funding for the means-tested Mortgage
Interest Supplement scheme can adequately cover families in need by capping the interest charged by
lenders benefitting from this scheme at the ECB base rate plus 1%, or the contracted mortgage rate,
whichever is lower. To improve uniformity of access and speed of processing applications, we will centralise
its administration under our proposed single Payments and Entitlements Service.
Banning Penalty Interest on Re-Structured Mortgages: We will legislate, if necessary, to stop mortgage
lenders charging penalty interest rates (or forcing families to give up their low-cost tracker mortgage rates)
on mortgages that have been rescheduled (i.e. the payment term lengthened) where the borrower has
co-operated with the lender in agreeing a new, sustainable re-payment plan.
Mortgage Interest Relief: We will increase mortgage interest relief to 30% for First Time Buyers in 2004-08
(from the current sliding scale of 20% to 25% depending on the year the mortgage was taken out), financed
in part by bringing forward the abolition of relief for new buyers from June 2011.
Deferred Interest: We will require banks in receipt of State support to give homeowners every chance
to renegotiate the terms of their mortgage to avoid repossession during difficult times. For example,
as recommended by the Mortgage Arrears and Personal Debt Group (November 2010), we will require

18 l Fine Gael Manifesto

all mortgage lenders to offer distressed home-owners a Deferred Interest Scheme (DIS) that enables
borrowers who can pay at least 66% of their mortgage interest (but less than the full interest) to defer
payment of the unpaid interest for up to five years.
Trading Down: For some mortgage holders that are in negative equity, trading down would produce
a reduction in mortgage debt and more affordable monthly payments. We will work with the Financial
Regulator and the industry to facilitate trading down and “negative equity mortgages” by borrowers in this
situation. Such options would have to be in the customers’ best interest.
Using Pension Savings to Ease Debt Distress: Many middle-aged home-owners and / or owners of
small businesses have generally-funded personal pension schemes, but are facing difficulties in servicing
mortgages or other current financial obligations. A Fine Gael Government will amend pensions legislation
to allowing defined contribution pension savers to access funds early, subject to reasonable limits, to meet
their current business and personal responsibilities (while taxing the draw-downs).
A New Insolvency Regime for the Financially Responsible: Bar the most extreme cases, bankruptcy
reflects the failure of the system. Where common sense is applied to most debtors’ circumstances, there is
no need or point to making someone a bankrupt. The sale of non-essential assets should be a part of any
arrangement made between a debtor and their creditors. Once the ability to provide for creditors from the
income of the debtor through a Debt Settlement Agreement is taken into account and the proceeds from
the sale non-essential assets are distributed there should be no need to go any further in most cases.
But where this is not possible, Irish bankruptcy laws must be updated. They currently are unpractical,
unused, excessively costly and overly penal. A Fine Gael Government will fast-track the reforms needed to
bring us into line with best international standards, focusing on the following elements:
• Reducing the time to discharge from bankruptcy from six years to one for “honest bankrupts”, defined
as one that has materially complied with the Tax, NAMA and Companies Acts among others;
• A Non-Judicial Debt Settlement System that will change bankruptcy from a judicial to an administrative
process, with filings being made with a new Debt Settlement Office within the Courts Service without the
need for legal representation;
• New Commercial Voluntary Arrangements (CVAs), which are legally binding arrangements between
the directors of a company and their creditors (at least 75%) that would protect the debtor from interest
charges and the threat of enforcement during the period of the life of the CVA;
• A Limited Residence and Personal Assets Safe Harbour that will permit a bankrupt to ring fence from
the bankruptcy process ownership of a principal private residence (within limits based on size, value and
family numbers) and specified personal assets not to exceed €40,000 in value; and
• A Prohibition against Discrimination against Discharged Bankrupts to ensure that former bankrupts
are treated fairly in their applications for credit or other services.

3.5	

Making NAMA a Credible Vehicle for Recovery

A new Fine Gael Government will make a number of changes to the way NAMA works to help reduce
taxpayer exposures and to kick-start the economy.
Stopping Further Asset Transfers to NAMA: We do not believe that transferring the land and development
loans of Irish banks of less than €20 million to NAMA is in the best interests of the Irish economy, and will
seek a mandate from the Irish people to renegotiate this element of the Programme of Support from the
IMF and EU. As an alternative, we will force Irish banks to take loss provisions against these loans similar
to the haircuts that would have been applied by NAMA. This offers the advantage of forcing the banks to
recognise their potential losses, as well as significant upside potential for new investors in Irish banks. It
also provides a more manageable administrative system for loans of this relatively small scale.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 19

Kick-Starting the Property Market: Getting the property market functioning properly again is a condition
of strong economic recovery. This will require NAMA to dispose of property assets secured from developers
in default of their loans into the private sector as quickly as possible. We are open to considering new types
of investment vehicles – such as U.S. style Real Estate Investment Trusts – that can help create a new, liquid
investment market in commercial property for Irish pension funds and smaller investors.
Reintroducing Diversity and Competition into the Property Market: We will force NAMA to outsource
management of at least 70% of its assets to 3-4 competing private asset management companies.
Exposing NAMA to Public Scrutiny: A Fine Gael Government will strengthen the transparency of NAMA’s
operations and its management of the assets paid for by the taxpayer. The details of all non-performing
loans acquired by NAMA will be available for scrutiny on a Public Register, including the names of the
creditors, the price paid by the taxpayer for the loans and the actions taken by NAMA to recover the loans.
Persons that have defaulted on loans acquired by NAMA will be banned from ever purchasing any asset
from NAMA.

3.6	

Never Again Will Banks Be Allowed to Ransom the Irish State

Punishment for Financial crimes: Fine Gael will ensure that rogue bankers are pursued for their crimes
and that the full rigours of the law will apply to them, and the courts will have the powers necessary to
impose appropriate fines and jail sentences. We will enact a new consolidated and reformed anti-corruption
law to punish white collar crime and end the impunity from consequences for corporate behaviour that
has threatened the economy. We will ensure that the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement has
sufficient resources to tackle White Collar Crime
Stronger Regulation of Financial Institutions: We will strengthen the financial regulatory regime
by funding the planned increase in staffing levels. We will, before the end of 2011, commission an
independent benchmarking of the quality of Ireland’s reformed banking supervision regime as against
best global practice.
Higher, Loss Absorbing Bank Capital to Protect Taxpayers and Depositors: We will raise core equity
capital requirements for systemically important banks on a permanent basis. This will provide a greater
buffer against banking losses before external intervention is required. To be counted as capital, “hybrid”
debt instruments issued by Irish banks, such as sub-ordinated bonds, must include clear mechanisms for
taking losses, either through write-downs or conversions into equity, without winding down the entire
bank.
Structural Reforms to Make Banking Safer: We will legislate, consistent with emerging EU frameworks in
this area, to give the Financial Regulator additional “bank resolution powers” to take over and wind down
banks that threaten financial stability, with losses being absorbed by investors and bond-holders before
the taxpayer. Fine Gael will consider new legislation to separate more risky, speculative financial activities
from the traditional banking activities of taking deposits and lending to enterprise. Fine Gael will also
intervene directly to stop banks from encouraging risky lending in the way they pay senior executives.
Bank Levy / Dividends: As banks return to profitability and private ownership, we will target additional
contributions from the sector to repay the Irish taxpayer for the cost of the bank bail-outs. Initially, these
contributions will be in the form of dividends, but will over time be restructured into an additional bank
levy on the types of transient funding sources of the Irish banks that have caused so much instability.

20 l Fine Gael Manifesto

3.7	

Strengthening Confidence in Independent Audit of Banks

Public Scrutiny of Audit Firms: To give the Oireachtas and the public confidence that auditors are doing
their job properly, a Fine Gael Government will mandate the Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory
Authority (the independent regulator of the audit profession in Ireland) to publish their conclusions from
their annual inspections of individual audit firms in respect of public interest entities.
Shareholder Approval of Auditors: To emphasise the primacy of shareholders, in particular over
management, in the appointment of auditors to financial institutions in receipts of State support, that
audit committee chairpersons be required to propose at each AGM the appointment of the auditor and
to set out their reasons for doing so. We will also make it a standard practice that auditors should answer
questions to shareholders at the Annual General Meeting of public companies. We will also require the
audit committee of banks and other Public Interest Entities to evaluate the effectiveness and competence
of the auditor every three years and set out for shareholders how they have done so.
Regulator Veto over Audit Appointments: For systemically important institutions (e.g. the banks) we will
legislate to give the Financial Regulator a right of veto over the banks’ choice as auditor. We also commit to
implementing other proposals that are finalised at EU level on strengthening the future role of auditors.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 21

4. C
 hildren, Older People and the
Family
4.1	

Protecting Our Children

Referendum: As a priority Fine Gael will ensure children’s rights are strengthened through a Constitutional
referendum.
Reforming Child Protection Services: Fine Gael will fundamentally reform the delivery of child protection
and welfare services to achieve a better and more effective service for children that is fully accountable to
the Dáil. We will enact legislation that will significantly increase the power and function of the Office of the
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
Children First: Fine Gael will put the Children First national guidelines on the protection and welfare of
children, that apply to individuals and agencies dealing with children, on a statutory footing so that they
are effectively and consistently implemented throughout the State.
Ryan Report: Fine Gael will implement the recommendations of the Ryan Report which revealed the
horrific wrong-doings perpetrated against children living in residential institutions, so that we give the
highest priority to the care of children, especially those in the care of the State.
Vetting: We will enact legislation to facilitate the use of soft information in vetting individuals working
with children. We will also seek a review of the Garda Vetting Unit with a view to improving application
processing times.
Child Benefit: Fine Gael will implement a rebalanced and integrated “Child Income Support” with both
universal and targeted components to make the system of child support better targeted at child poverty.
Early Childhood Education: As public sector reform savings are achieved through our Reinventing
Government plan, we will invest in an early childhood education programme called ‘First Steps’, for
disadvantaged children, building on existing targeted pre-school supports for families most in need of
assistance.
Pre-School Year: Fine Gael will maintain the free pre-school year in Early Childhood Care and Education to
promote the best outcomes for children and families.
Childcare: Fine Gael will examine ways to reduce the cost of childcare to ease the burden on working
families.
Obesity: Fine Gael recognises the challenge posed by obesity among children and young people and will
seek to develop a series of health and education initiatives to combat this.
National Children’s Strategy: Fine Gael will review and update the National Children’s Strategy 20002010.

4.2	

Prioritising Older People

In preparation for the longer term needs of an ageing society, Fine Gael is committed to supporting older
people and ensuring that they are treated fairly and looked after to a high standard.

22 l Fine Gael Manifesto

Positive Ageing: Fine Gael will complete and implement the National Positive Ageing Strategy so that
older people are recognised, supported and enabled to live independent full lives. This will include
important matters such as age discrimination, elder abuse, encouraging volunteerism in the community
as well as the issues outlined below.
Income: Fine Gael will not cut the Old Age Contributory or Non-Contributory Pension.
Care in the Community: Nursing homes should the option of last resort. To help older people stay in their
own homes, Fine Gael will ensure that the eligibility criteria for the home help and the Home Care Package
Schemes are applied fairly and consistently across the country.
Nursing Home Support Scheme: Fine Gael will seek to address the anomalies in the Nursing Home
Support Scheme such as the level of care services available under the Scheme, including physiotherapy,
occupational therapy and chiropody for example. We will also provide clarification around the definition of
a “sudden illness” for the application of the three-year cap to farms and small businesses.
Pensions and Retirement: Fine Gael will fundamentally reform the pension system to set Ireland on a
path to achieve universal coverage, more generous supports for the lower paid, greater equity between
public and private sector workers, lower costs, lower risks for individual savers and more flexible retirement
arrangements. Fine Gael will increase the age at which people qualify for the State Pension to 66 years in
2014, in line with the existing EU/IMF agreement.
Health: FairCare will radically reform the health service and introduce Universal Health Insurance for all.
This will end the unfair two-tier system so that access to health care will be on the basis of need, not on
ability to pay. FairCare will also improve community based services so that people are supported in living
in their own home for as long as they wish. These services will include home help, home care packages
and carers services.
Fuel Poverty: Fine Gael will protect and maintain the Warmer Home Scheme to retrofit low income
housing for greater energy efficiency. We will produce a national strategy to address energy poverty, with
a specific focus on conservation, pricing and income support with a targeted approach and a timeframe for
delivery. We will also target energy costs with a view to squeezing the energy companies and the regulator
to provide cheaper energy in the coming years in order to tackle fuel poverty.
Transport: In any reform of rural transport services, Fine Gael will continue to support the needs of older
people particularly those living in isolated rural communities.
Participation: In Government, Fine Gael will engage with senior citizens in the development of policies
that affect their lives.
Knowledge Economy: Fine Gael supports the concept of the “silent knowledge economy” and will
encourage retired skilled people to provide mentoring or expert services to those who can benefit from
their experience.

4.3 Protecting the Family
Supporting Marriage: Fine Gael recognises the value of the family based on the institution of marriage.
Tax and Social Welfare: Our tax, social welfare and other laws should not discourage people from
getting married. Currently, our social welfare system does. Two single people who are on social welfare
lose substantial benefits if they marry. Addressing the ‘marriage penalty’ in social welfare would be very
expensive if done in one go but when social welfare rates start to increase again, a Fine Gael Government
will steadily remove the penalty.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 23

Reforming the One Parent Family Payment: Single mothers lose the One Parent Family Payment if
they marry. Over time, we will transform it into a family income-based payment that does not discourage
marriage or work.
Home Carers’ Tax Credit: We will not cut the ‘Home Carers Tax Credit’.
European Court of Human Rights Judgement on Abortion: We will establish an all-party committee,
with access to medical and legal expertise, to consider the implications of the recent ruling of the ECHR and
to make recommendations. Such a process would, we believe, be the best way of examining the issues in
a way that respects the range of sincerely-held views on this matter.
Regulation of Embryo Research: We will legislate to regulate human embryo research.
Regulation of Assisted Human Reproduction: We will legislate to regulate Assisted Human Reproduction
services.
Maternity/Paternity Leave: We will review maternity leave to permit parents to share leave entitlements,
recognising the changing needs of modern families.
Family Law Reform: We will modernise and reform outdated elements of family law.

24 l Fine Gael Manifesto

5. Community and Rural Affairs
Fine Gael believes that strong and vibrant urban and rural communities are a vital foundation for the
return to growth and prosperity of our nation. We are committed to ensuring that local communities are
sustained with fair access to services, a sense of inclusion and the security of a safe environment.

5.1	

Active Citizenship and the Community and Voluntary Sector

Community and Voluntary Groups: Fine Gael is committed to ensuring that we have an active, engaged
citizenry and a vibrant community and voluntary sector that works in partnership with Government
to create a fairer and a better Ireland. Policy makers in countries at the cutting edge of public service
modernisation are also broadening their thinking to assess the case for working with the independent
sector and “social entrepreneurs” to address with earlier interventions some of the thorniest social
problems linked to billions of euros in public spending. In Government, we will ensure that the following
programme will be put in place:
• Support for social enterprises to engage in the public procurement and public sector contract
opportunities, as is the case in Italy, the UK, and France
• A strategy to support the acquisition of assets to community trusts which would assist communities to
generate income, and
• An instruction from central Government to State agencies to view social enterprises as important
stakeholders in regenerating local economies
We will continue support for social innovation projects for young people through our education,
community and voluntary structures.
Social Investment Bonds: We will introduce a new model of financing called ‘Social Investment Bonds’
that share audited exchequer savings with community and voluntary organisations for social programmes
delivered by them. We will pilot the use of Social Investment Bonds to help voluntary bodies to finance
interventions that cut rates of homelessness and re-imprisonment by re-integrating ex prisoners into
society and the workforce.
Charity Regulatory Authority: Fine Gael is fully committed to full implementation of the Charities Act
2009 and the establishment of the Charity Authority during the life of the next Government.
Philanthropy: Fine Gael recognises that philanthropy plays a crucial role in supporting a robust community
and voluntary sector and is committed to developing a fiscal and regulatory infrastructure that encourages
philanthropy. This will be done by 
• Renewing the mandate of the Forum on Philanthropy under the chairmanship of the Department of the
Taoiseach;
• The creation of a Government strategy for the sector that supports research, funding of the sector,
ongoing review of the tax code, the promotion of  philanthropy amongst ordinary citizens as well as
high net worth individuals and corporations, and facilitating stronger links between Government, the
community and voluntary sector and the business community. It will be based on  international best
practice and widespread consultation.  

5.2	

Jobs in the Community

Local Enterprise Initiatives: We will promote alternative locally-based enterprises for rural dwellers,
particularly part-time farmers. We will also target rural development funding to economic activities which

Fine Gael Manifesto l 25

have strong growth potential such as energy projects, micro enterprises such as specialist food production
and sustainable tourism projects.
One Stop Shop for Businesses: We will support the creation of jobs and businesses locally through the
creation of a one-stop-shop in rural regions for business supports, advice and needs.
Broadband: We recognise that poor broadband connectivity, particularly in rural regions has prevented
rural enterprises from doing business efficiently. Our NewERA policy has outlined a plan to rollout next
generation broadband to homes and business across Ireland.

5.3	

Keeping Communities Vibrant

Post Offices: Fine Gael will ensure the network of post offices around the country are maintained and
communities have access to adequate postal services in their locality.
Emigration: Employment is key to halting the new wave of emigration that is resulting in the desertion
of our communities. Fine Gael’s focus in Government will be job creation, providing new opportunities for
young and old to live and work in their own communities.
Rural Activities: Fine Gael will reverse the ban on stag hunting.
Supporting Irish Pubs: Fine Gael recognises the importance of the Irish pub for tourism, rural jobs and as
a social outlet in communities across the country. We will support the local pub by banning the practice
of below cost selling on alcohol, particularly by large supermarkets and the impact this has had on alcohol
consumption and the viability of pubs.

5.4	

Community Services

Community and Rural Transport Services: We will maintain and expand the rural transport network as
a reliable and sustainable transport service that is vital for rural communities. We will also integrate the
school transport and non-emergency HSE transport with the Rural Transport Programme locally as much
as is practicable.
Development of Health Care in the Community: In Government, we will develop a comprehensive
network of new Primary Care centres to serve our communities. Special incentives for disadvantaged areas
will be considered.
Home Supports: Fine Gael will develop support services for individuals in their own home so that home
help, home care packages and meals on wheels services are improved.
Community Gardaí and Rural Policing: Fine Gael will put an increased emphasis on Community Gardaí
and encourage members to live in the communities they serve. We do not believe that the closure of rural
Garda stations will deliver any significant savings to the State.
Community Supports for Older People: Fine Gael will continue community supports for elderly people
living alone, particularly those living in isolation in rural areas.
Government Supports for Traveller Communities: We will adopt greater co-ordination and integration
to the delivery of services to the Traveller community across all Government departments, using available
resources more effectively to deliver on the principles of social inclusion, particularly in the area of Traveller
education.

26 l Fine Gael Manifesto

6. Crime, Justice and Drugs
Fianna Fáil has failed the Irish people on law and order. Our money is being wasted by putting the wrong
people in jail while violent criminals and drugs thugs walk free.
Drugs are the reason for the increase in gun murders and mayhem on our streets, home burglaries, and
robberies from people going about their daily lives. Fine Gael will ensure that taxpayer’s money is spent on
cleaning up crime by intelligent sentencing and efficient policing.

6.1 Confronting White Collar Crime
Financial Crimes: Fine Gael will ensure that rogue bankers and all those that misappropriate or embezzle
funds are properly pursued for their crimes and that the full rigours of the law will apply to them. We will
give the courts the powers necessary to impose appropriate fines and jail sentences.
Anti-Corruption Law: We will enact a new consolidated and reformed anti-corruption law to punish
white collar crime and end the impunity from consequences for corporate behaviour that threatens the
economy.

6.2 Stopping the Gang Empires
Anti-Gang Laws: Fianna Fáil introduced laws to take gangs off the street and, 18 months later, not a single
person has been imprisoned under that law. Fine Gael is serious about breaking up organised crime gangs
and taking them off the streets and will ensure that anti-gang laws are fully implemented.
End of Drug Empires in Prison: Fine Gael will crack down on the use of drugs and mobile telephones
in prisons. We will ensure that those who violate prison regulations by the use or possession of mobile
phones in prison, are deprived of their remission and are prosecuted before the courts with the possibility
of serving additional sentences.
Stop Criminals Getting Off on Technicalities: We will reform the rules of evidence to ensure that Gardaí
have maximum power within the Constitution to collect evidence to prosecute crimes.

6.3 Prisons and Sentencing
Thornton Hall: We will revisit the proposal to build a new prison at Thornton Hall and consider alternatives
to avoid the enormous cost yet to be incurred by the state in building a new prison. The total cost to the
state of the proposed prison has been €43 million to date and not even the perimeter wall has been built.
Sentencing Reform: We will overhaul current sentencing practices to ensure violent criminals serve their
full term in prison. We will end the cost to the taxpayer of short term sentences, which lead to high rates
of re-offending, and use more cost effective and community based methods of punishing offending. We
will end the practice of imprisoning people who cannot pay their fines and debts and introduce a system
which takes a small amount of money from a persons’ wages or social welfare by an “attachment order” to
pay off the fine or debt over time.
Offender Management: We will merge the Probation Service and the Irish Prison Service to provide an
end-to-end offender management system and to reduce administrative costs.
End of Automatic Remission: Fine Gael will ensure prisoner remission is earned, based on good
behaviour, participation in education and training and completion of addiction treatment programmes
and, where appropriate, sex offender programmes.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 27

Tagging Sex Offenders: In 2011, nearly 100 sex offenders will leave prison, only 22 of whom will have
had rehabilitative therapy. Fine Gael will provide for electronic tagging for high risk sex offenders on their
release from prison to reduce the risk of reoffending.

6.4 Strong and Efficient Policing
DNA Database: A DNA Database will be established to assist the Gardaí in the investigation of serious
crime, such as homicides and sexual offences. The database will also be utilised to enhance cooperation
within the EU in the area of asylum and immigration.
Ending the Waste of Police Time on Administration: Fine Gael will ensure that administrative duties are
carried out by civilian staff in order to free up highly trained Gardaí for preventing and detecting crime. We
will, for example, stop the practice of highly trained Gardaí checking passports at airports, and will transfer
this function to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service. This will also free up members of the
Gardaí to engage in community policing.
Ending the Waste of Police Time in Court: Gardaí spend too much of their time in Court, instead of out
on our streets protecting our communities. Fine Gael will introduce a new prosecution system that reduces
the number of Gardaí detained in the courts.
Community Gardaí: Fine Gael will put an increased emphasis on Community Gardaí and encourage
members to live in the communities they serve.

6.5 Judiciary and Courts
Judicial Pay and Expenses: As part of wider changes to improve the way our Government works, we will
introduce a constitutional amendment to allow the Government to reduce the pay of the judiciary as a
whole in line with other public sector reductions. We will also provide a modern and reformed framework
for judicial expenses.
Judicial Council: Fine Gael will establish a Judicial Council to provide for accountability for the judiciary
and to provide a mechanism to address alleged judicial misbehaviour.
Criminal Legal Aid: Fine Gael will close the loopholes that allow wealthy criminals to avail of criminal legal
aid and will empower the Criminal Assets Bureau to pursue convicted criminals with extensive assets for
any legal aid costs awarded to them.
Family Law: Fine Gael will propose a constitutional amendment to allow for the establishment of a distinct
and separate system of family courts to streamline family law court processes and make them more
efficient.
Mediation: Fine Gael will take the steps necessary to encourage and facilitate the use of mediation to
resolve commercial, civil and family disputes in order to speed up the resolution of such disputes, reduce
legal costs and ameliorate the stress of being involved in contested court proceedings.
Commercial Disputes: Fine Gael will provide a civil commercial court to facilitate speedy resolution
of disputes at Circuit Court level, where the monies in dispute do not warrant use of the High Court
jurisdiction.
Settlements for Serious Injuries: Fine Gael will enact legislation to facilitate courts making provision
for structured settlements in circumstances where damages are currently awarded as a consequence of
individuals suffering catastrophic injury because of the negligence of another. This will provide certainty
over time to the injured party.

28 l Fine Gael Manifesto

6.6 Law Reform
Victims’ Rights: Fine Gael will enact legislation strengthening the rights of victims of crime.
Immigration and Asylum: Fine Gael will bring into force comprehensive reforms dealing with immigration,
residency and asylum issues which will include provision of a statutory appeals system to ensure we comply
with best international standards and bring to an end the enormous waste of public funds resulting from
delays in processing applications and expensive court actions taken against the state.
Domestic Violence: We will introduce consolidated and reformed domestic violence legislation to
address all aspects of domestic violence, threatened violence and intimidation in a manner which provides
protection to victims.
Modernising and Reforming the Legal Profession: Fine Gael will establish independent regulation of
the legal professions to improve access and competition, to make costs more transparent and to ensure
adequate procedures for addressing consumer complaints.

6.7. Drugs, Addiction and Illegal Smuggling
National Addiction Strategy: We will publish a National Addiction Strategy that deals with both drugs
and alcohol addiction. We consider the first step in implementing a successful strategy will be to outline
key priorities for short-term implementation underpinned by a realistic timeframe and targets.
Using Drugs Funding More Effectively: We will ensure that every Government Department, Agency or
task forces responsible for implementing elements of the National Addiction Strategy will be required to
account to the Minister for their budget annually and demonstrate progress on achieving targets.
Education: We work with Local and Regional Drug Task Forces to implement effective programmes aimed
at preventing addiction in schools. We will require all local and regional drugs taskforces to build on the
success of Education Prevention Units in other taskforces. These Units offer training and information to
teachers and schools and liaise with local HSE Drug Education Workers to support schools in a dedicated
Alcohol and Drug Awareness Programme. We will update outdated drugs awareness programmes in
schools to reflect the current attitudes and reality of recreational drug use amongst teens.
Voluntary Drug Testing: We will introduce a voluntary drug testing code in schools where the boards
of management, teachers, parents and pupils agree to take action to prevent the infiltration of drugs on
school premises. Schools will be recognised for being drug free.
Rehabilitation: Fine Gael is committed to targeting resources to increasing the number of needle
exchange programmes and rehabilitation places across the country where it is needed most.
Community Employment Schemes: We will assist drug users in rehabilitation through participation in
suitable local community employment (CE) schemes.
Stopping Drugs at Source: We will cut off the drug supply at the source by providing an x-ray scanner
at major ports; greater patrols along the coastline and by increasing the presence of Customs officers at
Ireland’s smaller airports.
International Co-operation: We will strengthen cooperation with the European Monitoring Centre for
Drugs and Drug Addiction in Lisbon (EMCDDA) and develop cross border initiatives to track drug dealers
travelling in and out of the country.
Tobacco Smuggling: Cigarette smuggling costs the Irish economy €556 million each year in lost revenue

Fine Gael Manifesto l 29

and is a cash cow for criminal gangs. Fine Gael will increase the penalty for tobacco smuggling to 10 years
in jail and stop illegal smuggling with the x-ray machines at ports, funded by tobacco companies.
Roadside Drug Testing: We will investigate roadside drug testing programmes in other jurisdictions with
a view to developing a system here to combat the problem of drug driving.
End of Drug Empires in Prison: Fine Gael will introduce x-ray scanners to all prisons to screen people and
goods entering prisons to stop the flow of drugs and mobile telephones into prisons. We will immediately
start using mobile signal blocking technology, which is already regularly and easily used in cinemas all over
the country, to stop mobile being used in prisons.
Dublin Drugs Treatment Court: We will carry out a full review of the Drug Treatment Court Programme
(DTC) to evaluate its success and potential in dealing with young offenders identified as having a serious
problem with drugs.

30 l Fine Gael Manifesto

7. Defence
Fine Gael recognises the substantial contribution made by the Defence Forces both domestically, in
providing aid to the civil power and civil authority, and internationally, in UN mandated peace support for
over fifty years.
Fine Gael’s Defence policy is built on key principles – maintaining the rule of law and the authority of the
state from all challenges, ensuring Ireland’s active participation in peace support missions, and delivering
an effective, highly trained Defence Forces capable of fulfilling all roles given to it by the Government.

7.1 Overall Defence Policy
Security and Defence: Fine Gael wants Ireland to get involved in the construction of a new European
security system at an early stage so that we can join and influence it on our terms. We want any EU common
security and defence system to be guided by five key principles:
1. The commitment to adhere to the fundamental principles of the United Nations (UN);
2. The commitment to the pursuit of universal nuclear and biological disarmament, and a promise never
to use either type of weapon;
3. The commitment to providing peacekeeping and peacemaking operations;
4. The commitment to respect the right of other EU States to enter other military alliances, or to be neutral,
as they choose.
5. The right of Ireland to opt-in and opt-out of aspects of a mutual defence and security system on a caseby-case basis.
Defence Industry: We will explore with the European Security and Innovation Forum (Esrif) the scope for
increasing the Defence and Security Industry in Ireland to supply items such as hardware and information
technology to police forces, civil aviation, maritime, emergency services and the Defence sector. We will
impose strict controls as to what can be manufactured and the markets to which it can be sold.
Prohibition of Use of Weaponry: We will enact a single Act listing the types of weaponry the Irish Defence
Forces are prohibiting from using or facilitating the use of. These will include cluster munitions, depleted
uranium weaponry, anti-personnel landmines, and nuclear weapons.
Emergency Planning: We will streamline the approach to emergency planning to improve Ireland’s
preparedness and capacity to cope with emergencies.
Medical Services in the Defence Forces: We will implement as much as feasible of the Defence Forces
Medical Services Review as resources allow.
Women in the Defence Forces: Our aim is that at least 10% of the Defence Forces will be women and we
will put policies in place to encourage female recruitment.
Decentralisation: We will review the process of decentralisation of the Department of Defence and
Military Headquarters.
Commemorations and Ceremonial: We support the participation of the Defence Forces in ceremonies
commemorating the 1916 Easter Rising and in events leading up to the centenary of the Rising.

7.2 Permanent and Reserve Defence Forces
Barracks Closures: Closed barracks that are currently unsold will, where possible, be used for appropriate
State or community uses, government offices and agencies.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 31

Overseas Missions: We believe that the Triple Lock must be modified to allow Ireland participate in
peacekeeping missions. The failure of the UN Security Council to pass a resolution should not prevent us
from taking part in overseas missions. We believe that Irish troops should be capable of being deployed at
short notice, if requested, to assist in emergency relief efforts at times of humanitarian crises.
Army Equitation School: We support the continued existence of the Army Equitation School and in
government will use the Equitation School to showcase the Irish sport horse industry.
Michael Collins Medal: To commemorate the forthcoming centenary of the creation of the Irish Volunteers,
we will strike a medal named after General Michael Collins and will discuss with military authorities the
nature of the award and to whom it should be given.
Reserve Defence Force: We recognise the importance of the Reserve Defence Forces within communities,
including the Naval Reserve. In Government, we will review the process of integration between the Reserve
and Permanent Defence Forces. We will amend the appropriate legislation to provide postal votes to RDF
members who may for RDF-related reasons, missions or events be unable to cast their votes in their local
polling stations.

7.3 Air Corps
Drug Interdiction: We will maximise the resources available to the Air Corps to target the illegal
importation of drugs into Ireland.
Ministerial Air Transport Service (MATS): We will introduce a new code of practice for the use of
the government jet ensuring cost effective and transparent travel. To stamp out any abuse, cheaper
commercial alternatives must be taken when possible.

7.4 Naval Service
Flotilla: We support the replacement of two ships in the Naval Flotilla that have exceeded their maritime
lifespan, subject to fiscal constraints and safety and operational needs.
EU Intelligence: We support Ireland’s continuing involvement with the Maritime Analysis and Operations
Centre-Narcotics, based in Lisbon which focuses on intelligence exchange amongst States to tackle drug
shipments by sea and air.
Civil Defence: We strongly support the work of the civil defence and will ensure a close working
relationship between civil defence and the military as required

7.5 Red Cross
Red Cross: Fine Gael supports the initiation of a detailed legal review of the basis, structures and
governance of the Red Cross in Ireland to improve its functioning in the light of changing circumstances.

32 l Fine Gael Manifesto

8. Disability
Fine Gael will ensure that the quality of life for people with disabilities is enhanced and that resources
allocated reach the people who need them. To achieve this, we must reform the delivery of public service
to bring about the back room savings that will protect front line services

8.1 Income Support and Independence
Income Support: We will retain disability and blind payments at the current rate. Fine Gael will also
facilitate people with disabilities in achieving a greater level of participation in employment, training and
education.
Personal Budgets: Fine Gael will give adults and children with disabilities and their families the option of
needs-based Personal Care Budgets so that they have much greater choice and control over the services
they need. Personal budgets introduce greater transparency and efficiency in funding so that service
providers only get paid for the services they deliver.

8.2 International Obligations
UN Convention: In order to make sure that the legislation on decision making is clear and that the rights of
people with disabilities are protected and promoted, Fine Gael will update the mental capacity legislation
as quickly as possible to allow for the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities.

8.3 Improved Services for People with Disabilities
Disability Strategy: Following consultation with all stakeholders, Fine Gael will publish a realistic
implementation plan for the National Disability Strategy, including the Disability Act, EPSEN Act and
sectoral plans, which will include achievable timescales and targets. We will ensure whole-of-government
involvement and monitoring of the Strategy, in partnership with the disability sector.
Irish Sign Language: Fine Gael will examine different mechanisms to enhance the recognition of Irish Sign
Language.
Standards and Inspection: Fine Gael will ensure that national standards apply to residential services for
adults and children with disabilities and that these are independently inspected by the Health Information
and Quality Authority.
Transparency: Fine Gael will ensure that money spent on disability services under the National Disability
Strategy will be clearly laid out and audited.
Universal Design: In planning legislation, Fine Gael will promote and support universal design whereby
all environments can be used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of age, ability or
disability.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 33

9. Education
Achieving the highest possible standards of education will be at the heart of Ireland’s long-term economic
prosperity. Unfortunately, the latest international studies indicate a fall off in educational outcomes in
Ireland compared to other countries, with a major decline in performance over the last decade. This
fall off in standards places Ireland’s future economic progress at risk. Finland, on the other hand, shares
some things in common with Ireland but is driving ahead in education performance. A deep recession
in the 1990s led to a transformation of the Finnish education system. We will draw from this success by
prioritising two key fundamentals to strengthen our schools; teacher quality and local autonomy. Fine Gael
will prioritise the frontline and support schools to inspire and equip the next generation with the skills and
knowledge needed to rebuild our country’s future.

9.1 Protecting the Frontline
Class Sizes: As we cut spending levels across all Departments, Fine Gael’s priority is to protect the quality
of the educational experience received by our children. We will not increase class sizes.
Efficient Work Practices: In order to avoid further increases in class sizes, we will work with the education
partners to seek further efficiencies in work practices – in line with the Croke Park Agreement – and to
devolve more power to school principals and teachers to make tight budgets go further.

9.2 Parental Choice in Education
Parental Choice: Fine Gael will give parents a real say in how schools are governed. We believe the
current situation with over 90% of primary schools under Church patronage is not reflective of the needs
of a modern Irish school system. We will hold a National Forum on Education to allow all stakeholders,
including parents to engage in an open debate on a change of patronage in communities where it is
appropriate and necessary.

9.3	

Early Intervention

Pre-School Year: Fine Gael will maintain the free pre-school year in Early Childhood Care and Education to
promote the best outcomes for children and families.
Investing Early in First Steps: As public sector reform savings are achieved through our Reinventing
Government plan, we will invest a proportion of these significant savings in an early childhood education
programme called ‘First Steps’, for disadvantaged children, building on existing targeted pre-school
supports for families most in need of assistance.
Special Needs: We will publish a plan for the implementation of the EPSEN Act 2004 to prioritise access
for children with special needs to an individual education plan. We support diversity in the education of
children with special needs, recognising that both intensive education and mainstreaming can be seen to
work for individual children.
Autism: Fine Gael recognises the critical importance of early diagnosis and intervention and will address
the current deficits in this area.
Speech and Language Therapy: Our FairCare plan will revolutionise the health service and will ultimately
result in better and earlier access for children to speech and language services as required through the
provision of primary care centres.

34 l Fine Gael Manifesto

9.4 Building Schools for the Future
School Inventory: The building programme has been open to politicisation and has been fundamentally
lacking in transparency. Fine Gael will overhaul the Department’s central database of school accommodation
to ensure a complete inventory of school buildings and associated structures is maintained so that
deficiencies are easily identifiable.
Local Control: We will pilot the devolution of an annual capital budget to schools to allow schools to plan
for capital projects on a multi-annual basis rather than applying year on year for capital funding.
Temporary Accommodation: We will give the Office of Government Procurement and Property (OGPP)
responsibility for the negotiation of prefab rental contracts to encourage greater value for money,
transparency and reduce dependency on temporary accommodation.

9.5 Innovation in Education
Greater Autonomy for Schools: We will give greater autonomy to school principals and boards to incentivise
innovation, new thinking and progressive approaches to learning and to free up restrictions in the day to
day running of schools.
21st Century Learning: Our NewERA stimulus plan will invest in broadband development to ensure that
at least 90% of homes, schools and businesses have access to fibre-powered broadband. We will seek
industry support to finance and develop a range of e-learning initiatives, such as:
Learning Lighthouses: A pilot programme, developing ‘learning lighthouses’ in a number of schools
where students are equipped with an iPod touch, iPad, laptop or tablet pc. Teachers in these schools will
be given specialist training and the pilot will be used to test new online learning initiatives.
Digital School: A new Digital School Resource for all, bringing together existing resources from the
National Council for Curriculum Assessment, the Department of Education and other sources, including
new content developed by teachers and pupils from Lighthouse schools. We will use this online tool to
develop new, cost effective approaches to learning languages from a younger age and provide schools
and students with new learning methods targeting areas where we have dropped in PISA performance,
such as reading and maths.
Promoting Educational Achievement: We will investigate ways to share expertise in education, by making
valuable lessons in subjects on the curriculum available for all students online.
Online Textbooks: We will engage with the publishing industry to develop more online learning
resources and new mediums for their learning materials.
Technology Awards Programme: We will establish a new awards programme for students, rewarding
students who achieve use their interest in technology to develop individual or group enterprises.
Maths Performance: In the 2009 PISA Study, the proportion of high achievers in maths was below
the OECD average and its decline was one of the biggest internationally since 2003. We will introduce
a system of bonus points for maths which is linked to specific maths or science courses to encourage
greater participation in courses where skills shortages currently exist.
We will also invest available resources in professional development for mathematics teachers.
Irish Language: Fine Gael is committed to overhauling the way in which Irish is taught at primary and

Fine Gael Manifesto l 35

second levels of education, to ensure teachers are equipped with the right tools to instil a love of the
language for all students and the curriculum is designed to inspire students to continue speaking the
language after leaving school.
• We will overhaul the curriculum at second level and we will critically examine the effect of current training
methods of teachers to teach. Irish as an optional subject for Leaving Certificate will only apply following
consultations on both matters.
• We will allocate 50% of marks to oral Irish exams.
• We aim to double the proportion of Irish students sitting the Higher Level Leaving Certificate exam by
2018.

9.6 Quality and Standards
International Success: We will ensure that Ireland is ranked in the top ten countries for PISA by 2018.
Quality Schools: Fine Gael will improve the system for evaluating schools so that parents have access
to more information when choosing a school for their family. We will introduce a new system of selfevaluation, requiring all schools to evaluate their own performance year on year and publish information
across a wide range of criteria including extra-curricular activities, special needs education, learning
support, music or drama as well as exam performance in an annual school report.
Quality Teachers: Fine Gael’s priority in education is to recruit, train and support the highest calibre of
teachers. We will investigate new policy approaches to ensure more teachers are qualified to Masters level
in their area of expertise.
Leading Learning: We will introduce a numeracy and literacy programme for school leaders to inspire new
methodologies across schools in these areas, encouraging principals to set new standards for learning at
a local level in every school.
Curriculum Reform: It is of great concern that the school system is leading to a dependency on rote
learning and is not equipping students for third level and beyond. We will review the Junior Certificate
and Leaving Certificate systems in Government and outline any reforms necessary to encourage greater
innovation and independent learning.
Gifted Students: We will examine the supports in place for gifted students and create improved links with
third level institutions on a regional basis, to provide gifted students with access to new programmes or
educational resources.
Anti-bullying Policy: We will encourage schools to develop anti-bullying policies and in particular,
strategies to combat homophobic bullying to support students.
Traveller Education: We will adopt greater co-ordination and integration to the delivery of services to
the Traveller community across all Government departments, using available resources more effectively to
deliver on the principles of social inclusion, particularly in the area of Traveller education.
Tackling Disadvantage: The DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) programme, which aims
to overcome disadvantage in education has just been reviewed by the Educational Research Centre. We
will consider the recommendations of this review and use it as a platform for new initiatives to deliver
better outcomes for students in our schools.

36 l Fine Gael Manifesto

9.7 Children First
Stay Safe Programme: We will require all schools to effectively implement the mandatory Stay Safe
Programme.
Residential Redress: We support the establishment of an Independent Trust for survivors of child abuse.
We will publish the legislation underpinning this Trust without undue delay and will consult as to the best
possible use of the funds involved.

9.8 Upskilling for Recovery
A new “One Stop Shop” for Welfare and Job and Training Referral: We will create a new ‘one stop shop’ for
getting back to work, the Payments and Entitlements Service. It will provide extensive skills assessment,
training guidance and job referral services to the unemployed, as well as other welfare and service
entitlements (see Section 19.5). Many job-seekers will continue to be referred to existing FAS training
centres and services, which will operate under a new slimmed down governance structure. Community
Employment schemes will be maintained and expanded but will be managed by local authorities.
Labour Market Activation: A Fine Gael Government will no longer subsidise a passive welfare system
that does not help people get back to work. The new Payment and Entitlements Service (PES) will offer
earlier interventions to support those losing jobs to remain engaged with the labour market. Among the
measures that will be introduced will be:
• A requirement on under 25s to maintain a Jobs Diary recording search experience and skill enhancement
activities, with sanctions for unreasonable rejections of training and job opportunities;
• Conditionality whereby benefits will be reduced if recipients refuse offers of training, education, work
experience;
• A reduction in the frequency of signing on in favour of a more meaningful schedule of engagement with
Jobseekers; and
• The introduction of Training Vouchers, that empower the unemployed to define and acquire their own
upskilling needs rather than relying on a State bureaucracy to decide what courses to provide.
National Internship Programme (23,000 places): We will subsidise part-time one-year placements in the
public service, private sector and voluntary sector for unemployed graduates to gain valuable experience
while studying for a masters or diploma. They will be paid the entry-level going rate and will get a €3,000
bursary to help fund their higher education. Among the positions available will be classroom and teaching
assistants in schools and nursing assistants in hospitals. IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland will be explicitly
mandated to develop 5,000 work experience placements in the companies that they support.
Second Chance Education (17,000 places): This will offer former retail and construction workers that
did not finish school or to college ‘back to education’ placements for two years. Participants will receive a
premium payment of €20 per week on top of their social welfare payment, a €500 payment towards books
etc and a €3,000 completion bonus.

9.9 A Quality Third Level Education
Graduate Contribution: Fine Gael will develop a fairer funding system for third level to ensure every
student has access to a high quality education. This will involve a graduate contribution from students
of roughly a third of the cost of their course. The contribution will be made by new entrants to publiclyfunded third level institutions after the student graduates, enters employment and reaches a defined
income threshold.
Third Level Efficiencies: We will not increase the student registration fee further. Instead, we will pursue

Fine Gael Manifesto l 37

greater pay and non-pay efficiencies in the third level system through greater flexibility in working
arrangements, in line with the Croke Park Agreement.
Phasing Out the Student Registration Fee: As the student contribution model begins to return funds to
the third level sector, we will phase out the student registration fee as an upfront charge.
Student Loan System: In the intervening period, we will establish a subsidised loan system for students
and their families that are struggling to pay the student registration fee.
Speedier Student Grant System: We will introduce a faster and more cost effective system for paying
student grants through the one-stop-shop Payments and Entitlements Service.
Quality and Standards: We will give students a better third level education by repositioning our universities
and institutes to become world leaders in education through greater collaboration, specialisation and
focus in every educational institution.
Improved Accreditation: We will ensure the training scandals of recent years are consigned to the past by
overhauling the accreditation system for courses and providers. We will merge the existing accreditation
authorities; the National Qualifications Authority, FETAC and HETAC to increase transparency.
Applications for University Status: We will amend the Universities Act 1997 as necessary to facilitate
applications for university status.

9.10 	Developing Ireland as an international education hub
Doubling Student Numbers: We will seek to double the number of international students studying in
Ireland, maximising the revenue potential of this rapidly growing, profitable global market by overhauling
the student visa system, identifying key target markets and exploiting the potential of the diaspora to
develop the sector. Fine Gael’s International Horizons plan for international education aims to create at least
6,000 jobs and to double revenue in the sector to €1.8bn.

38 l Fine Gael Manifesto

10. Energy and Communications
Under-developed energy and communications networks threaten to hold back Irish economic recovery.
Fine Gael has outlined detailed plans on how to pay for vital investment in these areas over a five year term.
If implemented these policies can make a real difference to Ireland’s energy cost competitiveness, energy
security, and carbon footprint.

10.1 	NewERA – Development of Ireland’s Energy Networks
Smart Grid: We will merge Eirgrid and ESB Networks to form an independent single state-owned company
to own and manage the distribution and transmission network, to be called ‘Smart Grid’. Consideration will
be given to merging the gas network into Smart Grid as well. SmartGrid will be tasked with accelerating
the planned investments in our electricity networks needed to exploit greater levels of renewable power
sources on a technology neutral basis. It will also be charged with giving Irish consumers greater control
over their energy consumption, by allowing homes and farms with micro generators to sell excess energy
back into the grid and with facilitating the roll out of electric cars.
We will use the National Pension Reserve Fund, investments from public and private pension funds and
the proceeds of the sale of state assets to finance the investment through NewERA. We will sell nonstrategic assets such as Bord Gais Energy, ESB Powergen, and ESB Customer Supply. All strategic networks,
distribution and hydro assets will be kept in majority state ownership, such as the gas pipelines and the
electricity grid, and all sales will only take place when market conditions are amenable.
Bio-Energy: We will merge Coillte and Bord na Mona to form a new commercial State company BioEnergy
and Forestry Ireland to exploit Ireland’s natural advantage in biomass, engage in a 15,000ha per year
afforestation programme and to facilitate a roll out of combined heat and power technology.

10.2 	 Energy Pricing and Regulation
Lower Energy Prices: Fine Gael will set a target of reducing electricity prices to at or below the Eurozone
average within 3 years by driving efficiencies in the energy companies, reforming the PSO/ReFIT subsidy
system, increasing equity investment in new infrastructure through NewERA and reducing capacity
payments. Cheaper energy will be a vital cost competitiveness tool on the road to economic recovery.
Peat: Peat still plays an important role for heat requirements of many families and for Irish energy security.
Recognising that a very conservative and restrictive interpretation of the Habitats Directive is now in force in
Ireland, we will allow an exemption for domestic turf cutting on the 75 National Heritage Area sites, which
are designated under Irish Law, subject to the introduction of an agreed environmentally national code of
practice. In tandem with this, we will establish independent mediation between all relevant stakeholders
with the specific objective of facilitating a resolution to the 55 SAC designated bogs. Furthermore, the
independent mediation will be made available to resolve the outstanding issues associated with turf
cutting on blanket bogs. It is premature to cease the cutting of turf for domestic purposes in 2011 pending
the establishment of the management structures and the appointment of an independent Chairperson.
We accept that peat will be phased out as a fuel for generating electricity over the next ten to fifteen years. 
We will support the replacement of this fuel with biomass to retain jobs in the Midlands.
New Technologies: We will continue to fund research into ocean energy and will support one geothermal
demonstration plant.
Energy Planning: To keep down the cost of electricity, we ensure that future wind farms are built in locations
where the wind regime is best and that they are built in large numbers or in clusters to reduce the cost of
connection to the grid under a new ‘plan-led’ Gate 4 process as opposed to the existing ‘developer led’ system.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 39

PSO Levy: We will review and reform the PSO levy to ensure that only the most cost-effective projects are
supported by a ReFIT tariff and that the consumer can benefit from a claw-back when market prices exceed
the tariff or where appropriate, a share of the profits or a royalty.
Rationalising Regulators: To save taxpayers’ money and to streamline resources, Fine Gael will merge the
Competition Authority, the National Consumer Agency (NCA), Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), the
Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) and the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER)
into a single, more powerful Competition, Consumer and Utilities Commission.
North-East Pylons: We will appoint an independent international expert commission to review and report,
within six months, on the case for and cost of undergrounding all or part of the Meath-Tyrone 400KV power
lines

10.3 Energy Security
Micro Generation: We will provide a ReFIT for micro-generators wishing to produce electricity for their
own homes, farms and businesses and facilitate them selling surplus electricity to the grid. The tariff,
however, will not be significantly above the single energy market price for electricity.
Electricity Interconnection: Fine Gael will explore the provision of an electricity interconnector with
mainland Europe for security of supply.
Strategy for Import Disruption: Fine Gael will devise a contingency strategy for the allocation of energy
resources in the event of a serious disruption of oil or gas supplies. Recent climate emergencies highlighted
the problems when Government does not have plans in place to deal with the unexpected.

10.4 Communications
Investing in Next Generation Broadband: Fine Gael in Government will co-operate and co-invest with
Eircom, UPC and other telecommunications companies to provide Next Generation Access (high-speed
broadband) to every home and business in the State. This will be achieved by delivering fibre to the home
or kerb for 90% of homes and businesses in Ireland with the remaining 10% provided with high-speed
mobile or satellite broadband.
e-Government: Fine Gael will develop Ireland as a ‘Digital Island’ and will set tough targets to provide more
Government services online such as all business services, planning applications, electoral register and driving
licence applications. We will set an ‘e-Day’ of January 1st 2016 for all these services to be available online.

10.5 Broadcasting
TV Licence: We will change the TV Licence into a household-based Public Broadcasting Charge applied
to all households and applicable businesses regardless of the device they use to access content. We will
look a new ways of collection including the possibility of paying in instalments through another utility bill
(electricity or telecom), collection by local authorities, the Revenue or a new contract with An Post. This
will reduce the cost of collection and widespread evasion and could yield a further €20m per annum. TG4
will be funded from the charge by 2014.
Independent Broadcasting: We will increase the broadcasting fund from 7% to 15% over five years and
will encourage more production companies and independent TV and Radio networks to bid for funding.
Broadcast Levy: The Broadcast Levy imposed on television and radio stations to cover the costs of the
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) will be reduced as a consequence of the savings that will be made from the
merger of the BAI and ComReg under the umbrella of a new Competition, Consumer and Utilities Commission.

40 l Fine Gael Manifesto

Digital Broadcasting: Fine Gael will ensure that digital switchover happens on time and that a vigorous
public information campaign is carried out. We will strengthen the powers of BAI (or its successor) to
facilitate an agreement on a commercial multiplex.
Postal Services: We strongly support An Post as a state-owned company providing mail and other services.
We will seek to expand the remit of post offices to include banking services, internet services and as a portal
for government services to communities and business. We will enact into law the Postal Services Bill which
opens the postal market to competition. And will protect the universal service obligation (five day delivery
to every home and business) by assigning it to An Post for at least twenty years, make provision for state
subvention and require that any decision by ComReg to reassign or scrap the USO is subject to ministerial
approval.
Postcodes: Fine Gael will introduce a new post code system that works on the principle of codes unique to
the location of buildings as opposed to the Government’s current plan for an area code system.
Free to Air: We will maintain the current regime with regard to the Heineken Cup.

10.6 Natural Resources
Mine remediation: We will work with communities, the industry and stakeholders to ensure that closed
mines are remediated and that responsibility for monitoring and managing closed mines can be taken over
by the state after thirty years.
Oil and Gas: Exploiting Irish oil and gas reserves in Irish waters is important to maintaining security of
supply and to providing much needed revenue. We will incentivise and promote off-shore drilling and
will streamline the planning and regulatory process for bringing ashore these reserves. We explore the
possibility of the Government taking an equity share in any new finds accepting that this will entail sharing
in the investment costs as well as the profits.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 41

11. E
 nvironment and Climate
Change
The environment is vital not only for sustainable living but for economic recovery too. With the right
leadership we can enjoy a clean environment and a roaring economy.

11.1 Climate Change
Climate Change Legislation: Fine Gael will legislate for a climate change law that sets the Kyoto and
EU2020 targets in national legislation but only on the basis of all party agreement.
Effects of Climate Change: In response to natural disasters such as flooding we will legislate to give the
relevant line Minister temporary powers to take charge of the State’s actions under the guise of a National
Emergency Response Action Committee.
Investing in Clean, Green Infrastructure: Fine Gael’s NewERA plan will help transform Ireland into a low
carbon and competitive economy by investing an extra €7 billion into new modern infrastructure in areas
such as energy and broadband.
Electric Vehicles (EVs): We will incentivise consumers to switch to EVs by providing an ambitious roll out
of electric transport charging points. We will invite companies from the private and public sector to roll
out these charging points. We will commission a study into the feasibility of replacing government-owned
vehicles with EVs.
Carbon Tax: The €15 per tonne increase in the carbon tax to €30 per tonne proposed by Government for
2014 is excessive, and will be particularly hard felt by the elderly and in rural Ireland. With an increase of
this scale, Ireland would likely have the highest carbon taxes in the world, making some energy-intensive
industries uncompetitive here. We will reduce the increase proposed in the Government’s 4-year plan by
€5 per tonne (to €25 per tonne). An increase to solid fuels will be phased in only when progress is made
to control imports of dirtier, more carbon–intensive solid fuels from the UK. Fine Gael will provide an
exemption from the additional carbon tax increases for agricultural diesel.
Cutting Home Energy Use: We will double funding for home energy efficiency and renewable energy
programmes until the end of 2013, after which time these schemes will be ended. Pre-announcing the
closure of taxpayer-funded schemes will encourage homeowners to invest now and stimulate extra activity
in this area and create an additional 5,000 jobs. After 2013, Fine Gael will roll out a ‘pay as you save’ scheme
to continue home energy efficiency retrofitting work without recourse to public funding. The Warmer
Home Scheme will be protected.
Energy Efficient Public Buildings: We will tender for a ‘pay as you save’ contract to insulate all public
buildings in the state. The contractor will be expected to come up with the capital. This will be labour
intensive, will save energy and reduce cost in the long run.
Bio-Energy in Buildings: We will reduce carbon emissions from energy hungry buildings by making
combined heat and power generators the norm for large buildings. A new State company, Bioenergy &
Forestry Ireland, will grow and market the biomass to feed a nationwide roll out of combined heat and
power generator technology.
Afforestation: Fine Gael will develop a new ambitious afforestation programme of 15,000 ha per annum
as part of our NewERA strategy to feed the bio-energy production industry. This is required to power the
developing combined heat and power industry but also has the added advantage of acting as a ‘carbon
sink’ to trap emissions.

42 l Fine Gael Manifesto

Carbon Sinks: Fine Gael will push for organisations involved in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to be
allowed to fund new forest carbon sinks in Ireland in lieu of purchasing foreign carbon credits.
High Speed Broadband: We will reduce emissions from transport by developing dependable high speed
broadband to allow more teleconferencing and shared digital information.

11.2 Waste
Waste Competition and Regulation: We will offer better waste services and choices to residents by
fostering greater competition in the waste market. Local Authorities will become a waste operator ‘as a
last resort’. The sector will be subject to independent regulation by the new Competition, Consumer and
Utilities Commission.
National Waste Policy: Fine Gael will develop a single National Waste Strategy incorporating regional
waste plans. We must attract investment in waste infrastructure in a way that maximises potential
economies of scale, competition and enables the market to pass on the benefits to businesses and
households. Ireland will only meet stringent EU targets on environmentally sustainable waste disposal via
a coordinated and planned approach by Government.
Recycling: We will continue to develop recycling services such as brown, green and grey wheelie bins in
order to facilitate waste segregation and recycling. In addition, we will extend the network of bring banks
and bring centres designed to empower householders to separate and recycle waste.
Zero Tolerance Litter: Fine Gael will take a tough approach with those who litter our communities. We
will increase fines and adopt zero tolerance for people found fly tipping in order to protect our natural
environment.
Waste Tax: We will introduce an environmental tax on packaging, as recommended by Comhar.

11.3 Water
Delivering Water: Fine Gael will deliver clean and reliable drinking water in all parts of the country by
creating a single water utility company to take over responsibility of water from the fragmented local
authorities that will use new investment and best practice to deliver better water services.
Water Charging: Fine Gael will introduce a fair funding model to deliver clean and reliable water. We
will not ask home owners to pay for a broken and unreliable system and that is why Fine Gael will only
introduce water charging after the establishment of a new State owned water utility company to take
over responsibility from the separate local authorities for Ireland’s water infrastructure and to drive new
investment.
Septic Tanks: Fine Gael will tackle leaking septic tanks that pollute our groundwater. We will introduce
new regulations and standards to address the serious problems associated with septic tanks. As part of our
Home Improvement Scheme we will provide short term finance for septic tank remediation assistance for
home owners.

11.4 Air
Noise pollution: Fine Gael will introduce new laws to deal with the nuisance of intrusive noise.
Air Quality: Fine Gael will further improve air quality by encouraging greater use of electric vehicles and
also facilitating a model shift away from private cars to public transport through the development of
convenient park and ride facilities and additional rail services.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 43

12. Foreign Affairs
Fine Gael’s key foreign affairs priority is to work towards the building of ever-stronger links between North
and South and towards the removal of any threat to peace from dissident groups. We will continue to work
with our Northern counterparts to realise the full economic, cultural and social potential of this island.
The European Union was vital in our economic development over the past three decades and will now play
a critical role in our recovery through access to funds and markets. We must ensure we maintain strong
representation at EU level to promote Irish employment and Irish citizens’ interests.
Abroad, we will make our Agencies and Embassies work hard to bring trade, tourists and talent to Ireland
supporting a return to a thriving economy.

12.1 	 Northern Ireland
Good Friday Agreement: Fine Gael supports the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. We
will work to ensure closer links between North and South that are respectful of both communities.
St. Andrew’s Agreement: We are committed to publishing the review of the North-South Implementation
Bodies and Areas for Co-operation, as provided for in the St Andrews Agreement, to recognise work that
has been carried out and to build on successes. New areas for co-operation, currently under review, should
also be identified as set out in the Agreement.
Economic Co-operation: We will continue to forge closer links in research and development, trade,
investment and enterprise to help speed up the process of economic recovery on the island. We will also
support enhanced co-operation and co-ordination in the provision of key infrastructure on the island of
Ireland, including energy, transport and telecommunications.
Border Economic Plan: We will propose the preparation, in partnership with the British government, of a
joint economic plan for the border regions in both jurisdictions. Fine Gael has already established a Border
Forum to develop new policy initiatives designed to capitalise on the potential of this region.
Dissident Groups: We will ensure An Garda Siochana have the necessary resources to monitor the
activities of dissident groups in this State. A concentrated effort to disrupt their recruitment methods and
other activities will reduce the risk of further atrocities by these groups.

12.2 	 The European Union
Fine Gael sees our membership of the European Union as the cornerstone of our economic recovery. We
firmly believe that remaining a central member of the EU is essential for attracting inward investment and
for access to markets.
We are determined to restore Ireland’s position as a respected and influential part of the European family
and to undo the damage done to our reputation by the outgoing Government. A key priority for Enda Kenny
as Taoiseach will be to lead a major diplomatic effort to repair our relationships with our European partners
and institutions. We will use our role in the European People’s Party, the strongest political grouping in the
EU, and Enda Kenny’s senior position of Vice-President of the EPP, to further this cause.
Re-negotiating the EU-IMF Programme of Support: Borrowing up to €25 billion in additional funds from
the EU/IMF at 5.8% to cover additional bank losses from fire-sales of loans and other bank assets at rockbottom prices, as this Government has agreed, will push Irish Government debt towards unsustainable
levels and hinder economic recovery, threatening the stability of the entire euro area.

44 l Fine Gael Manifesto

A Fine Gael Government will not make Irish taxpayers borrow at such penal interest rates to pay for a firesale of Irish bank assets. We will seek a mandate from the Irish people to renegotiate a more credible, fairer
package that is better for Ireland and Europe.
European People’s Party: As a member of the European People’s Party, Europe’s largest political grouping,
Fine Gael fully supports greater EU co-operation and integration on issues of mutual concern, particularly
the current economic crisis.
An Irish role in EU Judicial and Home Affairs Cooperation: We believe that Ireland should be fully
involved in the fight against international crime, especially as there is increasing evidence of this country
being used as a route to import illegal drugs into Europe. The result of this new crime threat can be seen
in the violent gangland conflicts in our major cities.
Security and Defence: Fine Gael wants Ireland to get involved in the construction of a new European
security system at an early stage so that we can join and influence it on our terms. We want any EU common
security and defence system to be guided by five key principles:
1. The commitment to adhere to the fundamental principles of the United Nations (UN);
2. The commitment to the pursuit of universal nuclear and biological disarmament, and a promise never
to use either type of weapon;
3. The commitment to providing peacekeeping and peacemaking operations;
4. The commitment to respect the right of other EU States to enter other military alliances, or to be neutral,
as they choose.
5. The right of Ireland to opt-in and opt-out of aspects of a mutual defence and security system on a caseby-case basis.
Remove the Triple Lock: We believe that the Triple Lock must be modified to allow Ireland participate in
peacekeeping missions. The failure of the UN Security Council to pass a resolution should not prevent us
from taking part in EU humanitarian and overseas missions. We believe that Irish troops should be capable
at short notice, if requested, to assist in emergency relief efforts at times of humanitarian crises.
Enlargement: We will support carefully planned European Union enlargement. We reaffirm that all
applicant countries must meet the criteria for accession in full. We believe that all applicant countries must
recognise each of the current members of the European Union.
Taxation: We will oppose any attempt to dilute the unanimity requirement for tax harmonisation.
Implementation of EU law: We will commission an independent audit into the transposition and
implementation of EU law, particularly focusing on legislation which has caused concern or been deemed
burdensome to business administration activities.

12.3 	 Ireland Abroad
Ireland’s Diplomatic network: We will ensure Ireland’s Embassies play a key role in both helping to
win inward investment and in supporting the work of Enterprise Ireland and IDA for economic purposes,
focusing particularly on emerging economies. We will also establish ‘educational attaché’ roles within
Embassies in key markets to work with educational stakeholders and provide information about Ireland as
an international education destination.
Ireland Houses: We will expand the concept of ‘Ireland House’ whereby our Missions abroad and the
offices of State Agencies such as Enterprise Ireland and the IDA come together in a single location.
Reaching out to the Diaspora: Using our extensive diplomatic network and enterprise Agencies around
the world, we will develop strong relationships with Irish entrepreneurs abroad with a view to creating
employment and business opportunities in Ireland, and expanding our Global Irish Network.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 45

Irish Emigrants: We will establish an Executive Office for the Irish Abroad within the Department of
Foreign Affairs that will deal with the needs of Irish Emigrants in the UK, USA and young emigrants leaving
Ireland today. This new Office will ensure that Irish people who emigrate in the current climate are properly
prepared to live independently in different societies.
Undocumented Irish: We will campaign for a more effective visa agreement with the United States, to
provide Irish and American citizens with the opportunity to live and work in both countries. We will also
use every opportunity available to push for the development of a bilateral agreement with the U.S. to
regularise the status of the many undocumented Irish living in America.
Terrorism: We will work with both our European Union colleagues to combat terrorism and the threat
posed by extremism, without engaging in, or supporting directly or indirectly, methods or operations
which compromise our respect for human rights.
UN Decision Making Reform: We support reforms of the United Nations that enhance decision-making
processes and representation at the U.N. Fine Gael also supports the view that the European Union should
have stronger voice at a reformed UN Security Council.
Middle East: We will assert the European Union as a key player in the Middle East peace process. We
believe the EU could take a more active role and offer peacekeeping troops to support the crossing points
around Gaza in an effort to restart peace talks.

12.4 Ireland and the Developing World
Overseas Development Aid: As we resolve our budget crisis, Fine Gael will place a renewed focus on and
approach to meeting the U.N’s Millennium Development Goals.
• We will review the implementation of the 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid with a view to addressing
shortcomings and to build on successes.
• We will establish a Civilian Corps, which could include job seekers to use and share their skills in
developing countries while retaining job seekers benefit.
• We will also restructure the Irish Aid Programme to ensure stricter funding criteria and to introduce a
quality standard mark for aid delivery in Programme countries.
• We will use the leverage that Ireland gains through our aid programme to encourage and support
democratic development and respect for human rights in the countries of the developing world. We will
support partner Governments and civil societies in their fight against corruption.
Emergency Humanitarian Assistance: In times of humanitarian crises, we will unite NGOs that provide
humanitarian aid to create a single appeals mechanism for national fundraising and public response. This will
maximise publicity for the cause, the receipt of emergency funds and ensure the effective and co-ordinated
dispersal of emergency aid. The State will financially support these NGOs in their response.
Ireland’s Defence Forces have a proud record in international peacekeeping. We believe that Irish troops
should be deployed, if requested, to assist in emergency relief efforts at times of humanitarian crises.

12.5 Our Passport Service
A Transformed Passport Service: We will transform the loss making Passport Service into an independent
Executive Agency that will be self-financing and will have much greater degrees of managerial autonomy.
It will be able to make investments in equipment, develop online application processes, provide a swift and
reliable service and will have greater accountability to Parliament.
Preventing Passport Abuse: We will introduce security measures to prevent any further international
abuses of the Irish passport. We will also introduce new procedures, including interviews or financial
penalties, for the loss of an Irish passport. In 2009, over 34,000 Irish passports were lost or stolen.

46 l Fine Gael Manifesto

13. Health and Mental Health
13.1 FairCare – Fixing the Health Service
Fine Gael’s health plan, FairCare, represents the most ambitious plan for health service reform since the
establishment of the State. It is designed to reduce costs, increase access and make the system much fairer.
It will dismantle the dysfunctional Health Service Executive (HSE) that was created by Micheál Martin in
2004, and end the efforts of Fianna Fail and Mary Harney to privatise the health system by favouring private
over public care. Our ultimate goal is to establish a system of Universal Health Insurance (UHI), based on
the very efficient Dutch model – but adapted to Irish circumstances. The underlying philosophy is that the
patient should be treated at the lowest level of complexity that is safe, timely and efficient.
Once UHI is introduced the unfair and inefficient two-tier health system will be eliminated. Patient will be
treated on the basis of medical need – not on the basis of how much money they have. There will be one
strong public health system, where the state guarantees the level of service and quality and competing
insurance companies are responsible for much of its administration.
Fine Gael believes it will take up to ten years to fully reform the health system and, as result, our programme
for change is divided into two parts.

13.2 F
 ine Gael will radically reform the current health system
(2011 – 2015)
Treating More Patients in the Community: This reform will allow an increasing number of patients,
especially those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, stroke and asthma, to be treated near or at their
homes and will save the health service several hundred million euro annually once fully introduced. This
increased patient flow will, in turn, provide GPs with the incentives and resources to expand their services.
Fine Gael will see to it that a network of purpose built Primary Care Centres is delivered by the end of our
first term in Government. These new centres will cater both for chronically ill patients as well as patients
needing X-rays, blood tests or treatment for minor accidents or illnesses.
Reducing Waiting Lists: We will establish a Special Delivery Unit (SDU) in the Department of Health,
reporting directly to the Minister to eliminate existing long waiting times. The SDU’s role will be to ensure
that targets are met, and to act as a source of expertise for healthcare professionals and managers. Key
personnel may need to be seconded from other health care systems that have successfully reduced waiting
lists. A similar-type system in Northern Ireland reduced waiting times significantly over four years with little
or no additional money.
Increasing Productivity by Changing the Way Hospitals are Paid: We will pay hospitals for the number
of patients they treat rather than, as is currently the case, giving them block grants. This system, which is
known as Money Follows the Patient, should increase hospital productivity by between 5% and 10% and
will make the system much more transparent and accountable.
Driving towards Free GP Care for All: As part of our preparation for UHI, which will gradually deliver
Free GP Care for all, we will look at a number of ways to widen access to free GP care as finances permit,
including increasing the number of people who have a GP Visit Card. Fine Gael will also enter discussions
with the insurers to see how cover for GP care can be extended by them to their clients at reasonable cost.
We will open up the General Medical Services (GMS) contract to all suitable qualified doctors to increase
competition and reduce costs.
Using Information Technology (IT) to Cut Costs: We have looked at how other health systems, such
as Sao Paolo in Brazil and the Veterans Administration in the US, have significantly increased efficiency

Fine Gael Manifesto l 47

through the proper use of IT. Fine Gael will establish a separate IT agency for all of the public sector which
will work directly with the SDU in order to ensure that projects are implemented on time and on budget.
The HSE’s track-record on IT to date is very poor.
Ending Co-location: More than five years since the announcement of Minister Harney’s co-location plan,
not one of the promised beds has been put in place. Fine Gael will end the Government’s efforts to make
the two-tier system even more unfair by allowing private hospitals to develop on the lands of public
hospitals.
Protecting A&E: No A&E services will be withdrawn unless a demonstrably better service is put in place
and is seen to work.
Reforming the Insurance Market: We will introduce a system of risk equalisation to ensure that the Irish
insurance market works more effectively.

13.3 F
 ine Gael will introduce Universal Health Insurance
(2016–2020)
UHI – Changing the Role of the State in Healthcare Delivery: Under UHI every citizen will have health
insurance from one of a number of competing insurance companies, which will provide equal access to a
comprehensive range of hospital and medical services. The insurance companies will take over much of the
burden of administering the system. The State’s role will be to:
• Pay for children/students and those on medical cards (and their families). It will also subsidise those on
low income
• Require all insurance companies to offer a standard package of health insurance that will cover all
key service such as hospital care, GP care, maternity care, etc. A system of Community Rating will be
introduced which will ensure that no insurance company can discriminate on the basis of age, sex or
health status, and
• Be responsible for regulating the system, ensuring that safety and quality are maintained, and funding services
that are not covered through UHI such as long term care, mental health, disease prevention, etc. Public
hospitals will remain under public ownership but will be given much more freedom to run themselves
FairCare will split the HSE into two before the introduction of UHI:
• A Healthcare Commissioning Authority (HCA) for the acquisition of “cure services” – hospital care, GP
care, etc.
• A Care Services Authority (CSA) for the acquisition and provision of “care services” for the elderly,
disabled, children, etc.
Once UHI is introduced the HCA will cease to function and the majority of the people it employs will instead
be employed directly by the hospitals. Professionals whose work is not directly related to hospitals will
have their employment contracts switched to the CSA. Fairness and respect for employment conditions
will be central to this transition, and will be negotiated with trade unions.
Opening Up the Insurance Market: UHI will double the size of the health insurance market. This will
attract new entrants, increasing competition and choice for customers.
Reforming the VHI: Fine Gael believes that the VHI can provide a “public option” for customers once UHI
is introduced. However, we believe it should be slimmed down considerably so that it no longer has a
dominant market position.

48 l Fine Gael Manifesto

Giving Local Hospitals More Control: Under FairCare individual or networks of hospitals will be managed
by hospital trusts, where patients, staff and members of the local community have a real say in the services
delivered and in the development of the hospital.
Gradually Introduce Free GP Care for All once UHI is established: Once UHI has been fully implemented
Free GP Care will be available to everyone and the two-tier system will end.

13.4 Fine Gael will make the Current Health System More Efficient
FairCare’s cost reduction programme will protect front line services as much as possible even as we see
reductions in the health budget as a result of the fiscal crisis.
Reducing Bureaucracy: Fine Gael will reduce HSE staff numbers by 8,000 by 2014 through a combination
of natural wastage and voluntary redundancies. Compulsory redundancy will therefore not be required.
Cutting Waste and Inefficiency: Significant savings will be found by reducing the cost of agency staff,
taxis, absenteeism and non-core pay such as overtime and allowances for example.
Cutting the Cost of Drugs: Fine Gael will introduce Reference Pricing and reduce the cost of generic
medicines in order to make savings to the State drugs bill. Private patients will benefit from cheaper
medicines in their local pharmacies.
Fine Gael will improve efficiency by 5-10% by introduce Money Follows the Patient.
Fine Gael will cut costs by transferring chronic disease management from hospitals to primary care.

13.4 Fine Gael will Introduce Better Care Services
Home Supports: We will ensure that the eligibility criteria for the home help and the Home Care Package
Schemes are applied fairly and consistently across the country.
Nursing Home Support Scheme: Fine Gael will seek to address the anomalies in the Nursing Home
Support Scheme such as the level of care services available under the Scheme, including physiotherapy,
occupational therapy and chiropody for example. We will also provide clarification around the definition of
a “sudden illness” for the application of the three-year cap to farms and small businesses.
Caring for Carers: Fine Gael appreciates the important contribution carers make to society and the
fundamental role they play in supporting people at home. Fine Gael is committed to protecting the
current rate of Carers Allowance and the Carers Benefit and will also develop a National Carers Strategy to
address issues of concern to carers.
Dementia: We will develop a national dementia strategy by 2013 to increase awareness, ensure early
diagnosis and intervention and the development of enhanced community based services. This Strategy
will be implemented over five years.
Terminal Illnesses and Medical Cards: Fine Gael will expedite the medical card application process for
people with terminal illnesses. We will also consider abandoning the medical card means test for people
with terminal illnesses.
Personal Budgets: By the end of our first term in Government, Fine Gael will give people with disabilities
the option of “Personal Care Budgets” so that they can choose the services that meet their individual needs.
Personal budgets introduce greater transparency in funding and improved targeting of resources.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 49

End-of-Life & Palliative Care: Fine Gael will improve end-of-life and palliative care services by promoting
better collaboration between health and social service providers, supporting the implementation of the
Palliative Care National Development Framework (2009 – 2013) which seeks to addresses the regional
disparities that exist in the provision of palliative care services and by enacting legislation to provide for
recognition of Advance Care Directives and the regulation of the funeral industry.

13.5 Key Issues
Manpower Crisis: Fine Gael will initiate a long-term manpower strategy to tackle the chronic front line
staff shortages we face in specialities such as general practice, mental health, physiotherapy, occupational
therapy and speech and language therapy to mention but a few.
National Children’s Hospital: Fine Gael is committed to the development of a national paediatric
children’s hospital.
Community Pharmacy: Fine Gael recognises that pharmacists are working to improve community health
services and preventive health services. Fine Gael believes that the greater use of community pharmacy
in delivering care and treatment will give patients more choice, more access and will give Ireland a more
efficient health care system. Fine Gael will seek to develop new pharmacy services such as medicine use
reviews and where appropriate, screening and vaccination programmes.
Cystic Fibrosis: Fine Gael will expedite the completion of the Cystic Fibrosis Unit at St. Vincent’s Hospital.
Cancer Services: Fine Gael will extend BreastCheck, the national breast screening programme, to 65 – 69
year old women. Fine Gael will introduce a cervical cancer vaccination catch-up programme for all girls
up to the age of 18 years. We will also expedite the appearance of graphic images, such as lung damage
caused by smoking, on cigarette packages to help reduce smoking.
Dental Care: Fine Gael will re-instate preventative dental care to the Dental Treatment Services Scheme
(Medical Card Scheme), as outlined in Reinventing Government.
Medical Negligence: Fine Gael will extend the Injuries Board remit to medical and clinical negligence so
that the non-adversarial approach can be used to save legal fees.
No-Fault Compensation: Fine Gael will pilot a no-fault compensation scheme for children who suffer
catastrophic birth injuries, utilising scarce resources to support families rather than paying massive legal
bills.
Patient Rights: Fine Gael will create a Patient Safety Authority that will incorporate the Health Information
and Quality Authority (HIQA) so that patients have an independent, proactive and inexpensive place
to bring their complaint. They will have someone who acts as an advocate for them and ensures that
investigations take place where appropriate.
Autism: Fine Gael recognises the critical importance of early diagnosis and intervention and will address
the current deficits in this area.
Lourdes Redress Scheme: We will find a mechanism to compensate those women who were excluded on
age grounds alone from the Lourdes Hospital Redress Scheme.
Thalidomide: We will reopen discussions with the Irish Thalidomide Association regarding further
compensation for victims of thalidomide.
Rare Diseases: In Government, Fine Gael is committed to developing a national plan for rare diseases by 2013.

50 l Fine Gael Manifesto

Neurological Care: Through the implementation of FairCare, Fine Gael will prioritise the development of
neurological services and implement the national rehabilitation strategy.
Migraine: Fine Gael will liaise with the Migraine Association of Ireland to improve awareness and access to
information on migraine and to improve diagnostic services in GP practices.
Ambulance Services: Fine Gael will review the fire brigade and ambulance service with a view to achieving
greater efficiencies and economy.
Maternity Care: Fine Gael will immediately review maternity services, using existing reports to hand,
so that we can put in place high quality maternity services to meet patients’ needs and to ensure more
choice.

13.6 Mental Health Matters
Fine Gael policy on mental health incorporates the recommendations of A Vision for Change. We are
committed to reducing the sigma of mental illness, ensuring early and appropriate intervention and vastly
improving access to modern mental health services in the community.

13.6.1 Early and Appropriate Intervention
Primary Care: Under FairCare, modern purpose built Primary Care Centres will accommodate a range
of healthcare specialists such as GPs, nurses and speech and language therapists for example, as well as
mental health specialists such as psychologists and counsellors.
Community Teams: Fine Gael will develop community mental health teams and specialist services as
outlined in A Vision for Change to ensure early access to more appropriate services for adults and children.
This staffing of these teams will be funded by a reallocation of resources within mental health services.

13.6.2 Opportunity and Reform
Suicide: Fine Gael is committed to implementing Reach Out, the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, and
will increase funding for the National Office for Suicide Prevention to €10 million to reduce the incidence
of suicide and self-harm, improve suicide prevention strategies and develop better bereavement support
services.
Psychiatric Institutions: Fine Gael will close unsuitable psychiatric institutions moving patients to more
appropriate community-based facilities. Resources, arising from the sale of psychiatric institutions, will be
ring-fenced for the development of mental health services.
Central Mental Hospital: Fine Gael is committed to developing a new Central Mental Hospital.
Mental Health Act: Fine Gael will review the Mental Health Act 2001 and update it in line with the UN
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

13.6.3 Universal Health Insurance
UHI: Insurance packages under UHI will incorporate a range of mental health services including mental
health assessment, access to mental health treatment and where necessary in-patient services.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 51

14. An Ghaeilge
Tá Fine Gael go láidir ar son forbairt na Gaeilge agus na gceantracha Gaeltachta.Aithnímid luach agus
tábhacht cultúrtha ár dtraidisiúin Ghaelaigh agus ár n-oidhreachta agus táimid diongbháilte go bhfuilimid
chun a chinntiú go mairfidh agus go mbeidh borradh ar an teanga agus ar na ceantracha Gaeltachta.
Straitéis Náisiúnta: Táimid ag tacú le mórán gnéithe den straitéis fiche bliain do thodhchaí na Gaeilge
agus tabharfaimid i gcrích na spriocanna gur féidir agus na haidhmeanna atá curtha chun tosaigh.
Oideachas: Tacaíonn Fine Gael le forbairt leanúnach na nGaelscoileanna agus aithníonn sé an ról suntasach
atá ag gluaiseacht na nGaelscoileanna in athbheochaint na Gaeilge taobh istigh agus taobh amuigh dena
ceantracha Gaeltachta. Chomh maith le sin, oibreoimid lena Coláistí Samhraidh chun níos mó scoláirí a
mhealladh go dtí an Ghaeltacht.
Táimid meáite ar athchóiriú a dhéanamh ar an mbealach ina múintear an Ghaeilge sa chóras bunoideachais
agus sa chóras iarbhunoideachais, chun féachaint chuige go bhfuil múinteoirí in inmhe grá don teanga
a spreagadh sna scoláirí go léir agus go bhfuil an curacalam leagtha amach ar bhealach a ghríosóidh na
scoláirí chun an teanga a labhairt tar éis dóibh an scoil a fhágáil.
Creidimid má dhéanaimid athchóiriú ar an mbealach ina múinimid an Ghaeilge go spreagfar níos mó
scoláirí chun staidéar a dhéanamh ar an teanga agus chun í a úsáid taobh amuigh den chóras oideachais.
Creidimid nár chothaigh an Ghaeilge éigeantach fás na teanga nó grá don teanga. Déanfaimid athchóiriú
ar an gcuracalam dara leibhéal agus scrúdóimid go criticiúil an tionchar atá ag na modhanna oiliúna do
mhúinteoirí atá i bhfeidhm i láthair na huaire. Ní bheidh an Ghaeilge mar ábhar roghnach go dtí go mbeidh
cainteanna ar an dá ábhar tugtha i gcrích.
Bronnfaimid 50% dena marcanna ar an mbéaltriail.
Déanfar iniúchadh ar churacalam dúbailte go dtí an Ardteist, ceann amháin ar an gcóras reatha agus ceann eile
ar an nGaeilge chumarsáideach. Déanfar iniúchadh ar phoinntí breise sa chóras iontrála go coláistí tríú leibhéal.
Déanfaidh Fine Gael lion na ndaltaí atá ag gabháil don chúrsa Ardteiste Ard leibhéal a mhéadú faoi dhó
faoin mbliain 2018.
Cruthú postanna sna ceantracha Gaeltachta: Cabhróidh ár bpleananna Ré Nua agus Ag obair don
todhchaí chun fostaíocht sna ceantracha Gaeltachta a chur ar fail, Déanfaimid infheistíocht i mbonneagair
fuinnimh, leathanbhannda agus uisce, chun an bonneagar atá riachtanach chun comhluchtaí agus
postanna nua a mhealladh agus a choimeád a chruthú. Tabharfaimid tacaíocht láidir do chruthú postanna
sa turasóireacht agus i ngníomhachtaí mara.
Scála Líofachta Náisiúnta: Déanfaimid iniúchadh ar fhorbairt scála líofachta náisiúnta don Ghaeilge.
Chuirfeadh an scála  deich gcéim seo ar cumas gach saoránaigh measúnú d’fháil ar a chumas agus úsáid a
bhaint as modhanna nua-aimseartha múinteoireachta agus as an nua-theicneolaíocht chun feabhas de réir
a chéile a chur ar a líofacht de réir mar a oireann dó féin.
Oileáin: Creidimid go láidir go gcaithfimid pobail a chothú ar na hoileáin agus oibreoimid chun feabhas
a chur ar na seirbhísí riachtanacha dona hoileáin i dtreo is go mbeidh fail cuí ag pobail na n-oileán ar
sheirbhísí sláinte agus ar sheirbhísí sóisialta eile.   
Acht um Teangacha Oifigiúla: Déanfaidh Fine Gael athbhreithniú ar na dualgaisí faoin Acht um
Teangacha Oifigiúla chun a chinntiú go bhfuil an caiteachas ar an teanga dírithe  ar fhorbairt na teanga ar
an mbealach ia éifeachtaí.

52 l Fine Gael Manifesto

15. Jobs, Enterprise, Growth
Since the recession took hold three years ago, 300,000 jobs in Ireland – 14% of the total – have been wiped
out. This is the biggest fall in employment of any advanced country since the crisis began. As a result of
the jobs crisis, the ESRI forecast an additional 100,000 emigrants in the next two years – a higher rate of
emigration than occurred even during the depths of the recession in the 1980s.
The Government’s response to the crisis has made matters worse. Fiscal austerity to pay for massive bank
bail-outs has not restored confidence and employment in the Irish economy. Unlike this Government, Fine
Gael understands that we cannot fix either the fiscal or banking crises without also fixing the jobs crisis.
The ESRI believes that Ireland has the capacity to generate a net increase of 100,000 jobs over the next
five years. This is a realistic ambition for a new government to set itself. But it will plainly need a new
prioritisation of jobs and competitiveness.

15.1 Fixing the Deficit While Protecting our Tax Competitiveness
Eliminating the Deficit: We aim to restore confidence in, and funding to, the Irish economy by bringing
the day to day public finances back into balance by 2016.
Keeping Direct Taxes Competitive: Drawing from international best practice, we will protect jobs as we
cut the deficit by limiting tax increases to at most one-third of the total deficit-reducing measures. We
will not increase direct rates of tax on income, company profits, employment and enterprise investment,
and we will re-structure VAT to help shift consumer spending from imported goods into labour-intensive
services.
Employers’ PRSI: There will be no increased tax on employment such as employers PRSI which can be as
high at 10.75%. To help employers hire people off the dole, we will halve Employers PRSI on jobs paying
up to €356 per week for two years.

15.2 A ‘NewERA’ Semi-State Investment and Reform Programme
Extra Investment in Key Networks: As we fix the deficit in a way that restores confidence, a Fine Gael
Government will use the remaining funds in the NPRF, sell non-strategic state assets and restructure
the commercial semi-state sector in order to finance €7 billion in extra investment in water services,
telecommunications and energy. This will support demand and employment in the short-term, and
provide the basis for sustainable, export-led jobs and growth for the next generation.
These will be profitable, commercial investments, repaid by charges on users, businesses and consumers.
In this way, these investments will not count as Government expenditure, and their benefits to jobs, growth
and taxation will underpin the effort to close the Government deficit.
A New Economy and Recovery Authority (NewERA): These investments – and the accompanying
semi-state restructuring and privatisation process – will be financed and pro-actively managed by a state
holding company to be called the New Economy and Recovery Authority (NewERA), which will absorb
the National Pensions Reserve Commission. NewERA will manage a portfolio of commercial semi-state
companies, re-structure their operations and sell those assets that can operate in competitive markets and
that are no longer of major strategic interest to the State.
A ‘Bord Snip” for the Semi-States: We will also appoint a committee to examine the accounts and cost
base of the semi-states – a ‘Bord Snip’ for the semi-states – to recommend ways to reduce costs and
improve efficiencies in each company with a view to passing on any savings to customers.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 53

15.3 Helping Irish Businesses Grow Their Overseas Markets
‘Home to Export’ Programmes: A new ‘Home to Export’ programme will be established to share the
expertise of exporting companies with firms currently reliant on declining domestic markets. A ‘Source
Ireland’ portal will be developed to market Irish goods and services abroad.
VAT Exemption for Service Exporters: Service companies that export more than 90% of their output will
be allowed become VAT exempt, improving their cash-flows and cutting down on red tape.
Strengthening Links between Multinationals and Irish Firms: We will offer tax credits to multinational
companies that provide the funding and mentoring needed by emerging Irish-owned companies to enter
international markets.

15.4 G
 iving Entrepreneurs the Freedom and Support Needed to
Create Jobs
A Single Business Tax for Micro Enterprises: Fine Gael will direct the Revenue Commissioners to examine
the feasibility of introducing – on a revenue neutral basis – a Single Business Tax for micro enterprises
(with a turnover of less than €75,000 per annum) to replace all the existing taxes on sole traders and small
businesses (i.e. income tax, corporation tax, capital gains tax, VAT and PRSI). This could cut compliance
costs and make starting a business much less daunting.
Social Protection for Entrepreneurs: With a view to extending greater social protection for entrepreneurs
and self-employed people who fall on hard times, we will appoint a Commission to report on changes that
should be made to the tax and social welfare system.
Regulatory Exemptions for Start-Ups: We will also consider a set of temporary exemptions from
employment and company regulations designed for bigger firms.
Helping “Honest Bankrupts” Back to Work: Antiquated bankruptcy laws will be overhauled to provide
“honest bankrupts” with clear and accessible routes back into normal economic life (see Section 3.4).

15.5 Improving Access to Finance for Business
A Partial Loan-Guarantee Scheme: To get banks lending again to industry and entrepreneurs, we will
implement a temporary, partial credit guarantee scheme that will provide a level of insurance to banks
against losses on qualifying loans to job-creating firms.
Microfinance Start-Up Fund: Drawing from funding from the NPRF and private institutional funds, we
will construct a €100 million Microfinance Start-Up Fund that will provide start-up loans and equity. Private
not-for-profit organisations like First Step, Chambers of Commerce or Local Business Units in the City and
County Councils could apply for capital from the Fund for investment in local start-ups.
Venture Capital Industry: Alongside the restructuring of the domestic banking system, we will also
support the development of a more dynamic, venture capital industry in Ireland by seeking to attract toptier venture financing and investment companies to Ireland, such as Silicon Valley Bank.

15.6 Supporting Research and Technology Development
Making the R&D Tax Credit More Accessible to Small Firms: We will amend the R&D tax regime to make
it more attractive to smaller businesses. All R&D expenditures below €100,000 in any one year will become

54 l Fine Gael Manifesto

allowable, as opposed to just the increment over the 2003 base year. We will also give companies the
option to offset the R&D credit against employers’ PRSI as an alternative to corporation tax.
To cut down on red tape in the applications process, companies in receipt of a Research, Technology and
Innovation (RTI) grant from one of the development agencies will be automatically deemed as entitled to
the R&D tax credit.
Accelerated Capital Allowances on Software Purchases: We will accelerate Capital Allowances on
software purchases against income tax and corporation profits tax from eight to three years. This will not
only support local, high-tech jobs in the software industry but will also facilitate productivity increase
across the economy.
“Fair Use” of Copyright: We will pioneer within the EU a model of ‘fair use’ in European Copyright Law,
like in the USA, which effectively permits the use of portions of a copyrighted work so long as the normal
economic exploitation of the originating work is not undermined. This will allow internet companies and
other digital innovators to bring their services to market.
Intellectual Property: We will review and update Intellectual Property legislation currently in place to
benefit innovation. Also, we will develop a national Intellectual Property protocol to give clarity about the
terms on which business can access IP created in Higher Education Institutions, clarify the laws relating
to on-line copyright infringement and the enforcement of rights relating to digital communications, and
revamp the Patent Office website to make it more user-friendly and to facilitate on-line filings such that it
is on a par with its European counterparts.
Digital Island: We want to develop Ireland as a ‘Digital Island’ and first-mover when it comes to information
technology. We will establish an E-day on January 1st, 2016 by which all government services to business
will be on-line only. We will approach it in the way that we did the Euro changeover.

15.7 Matching People to Opportunities
A new “One Stop Shop” for Welfare and Job and Training Referral: We will create a new ‘one stop shop’
for getting back to work, the Payments and Entitlements Service. It will provide extensive skills assessment,
training guidance and job referral services to the unemployed, as well as other welfare and service
entitlements (see Section 19.5). Many job-seekers will continue to be referred to existing FAS training
centres and services, which will operate under a new slimmed down governance structure. Community
Employment schemes will be maintained and expanded but will be managed by local authorities.
Labour Market Activation through “Welfare to Work” Reforms: A Fine Gael Government will no longer
subsidise a passive welfare system that does not help people get back to work. The new Payment and
Entitlements Service (PES) will offer earlier interventions to support those losing jobs to remain engaged
with the labour market. Among the measures that will be introduced will be:
• A requirement on under 25s to maintain a Jobs Diary recording search experience and skill enhancement
activities, with sanctions for unreasonable rejections of training and job opportunities;
• Conditionality whereby benefits will be reduced if recipients refuse offers of training, education, work
experience;
• A reduction in the frequency of signing on in favour of a more meaningful schedule of engagement with
Jobseekers;
• The introduction of Training Vouchers, that empower the unemployed to define and acquire their own
training needs rather than relying on a State bureaucracy to decide what courses to provide; and
• Welfare reforms to make re-entry into paid work more attractive. Rent supplement and other secondary
benefits will be converted into means-related supports that are unaffected by working status (with
tapered withdrawal).

Fine Gael Manifesto l 55

15.8 4
 5,000 New Employment and Training Places to Target Youth
Unemployment
National Internship Programme (23,000 places): This will offer part-time one-year placements in the
public service, private sector and voluntary sector for unemployed graduates to gain valuable experience
while studying for a masters or diploma. They will be paid the entry-level going rate and will get a €3,000
bursary to help fund their higher education. Among the positions available will be classroom and teaching
assistants in schools and nursing assistants in hospitals. IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland will be explicitly
mandated to develop 5,000 work experience placements in the companies that they support.
Second Chance Education (17,000 places): This will offer former retail and construction workers that did
not finish school ‘back to education’ placements for two years. Participants will receive a premium payment
of €20 per week on top of their social welfare payment, a €500 payment towards books etc and a €3,000
completion bonus.
Apprenticeship Guarantee (700 places): This will offer unemployed craft apprentices direct employment
by the state, agencies or semi-states until their apprenticeship is completed.
Community Employment (5,000 places): This will offer community employment places to people
currently on the live register. We will reform CE to make it more market-orientated with many more
placements in private sector businesses. With this aim in mind, we will cut in the length of the standard
Community Employment Scheme to six months, except for specific progression purposes, and strengthen
the programme with regard to job search support.

15.9 Reducing Red Tape and Bad Regulations
Cutting Red Tape through Risk-Based Regulatory Enforcement: We will reduce the cost of Governmentimposed red-tape on business by €500 million, in part by streamlining regulatory enforcement activities.
Out of a merger and rationalisation of existing structures, we create a Business Inspection and Licensing
Authority (BILA) that absorbs the existing business inspection activities of the Health and Safety Authority
(safety laws), the National Consumer Agency (pricing displays and consumer laws) and the Equality
Authority. The BILA will be charged with applying international best practices in regulatory compliance
and risk-based enforcement.
A Single Food Inspectorate: Building on the existing Food Safety Authority, we will create a single food
safety monitoring agency responsible for food safety inspection from farm to fork. This will enhance the
food traceability system and reduce the burden of red tape on business.
Unique Business Identifier: We will develop a Unique Business Identifier for use by all government
departments and agencies that will facilitate the sharing of information within Government and reduce
repetitive information requests from businesses.
Simplifying Tax Compliance: We will allow all companies to base their preliminary corporation tax
returns on prior year tax liabilities, reducing their need to hire advisers to estimate their current year tax
liabilities before the year is finished. We will also combine PRSI and tax data for employees, and simplify
PRSI classes.
Regulatory Impact Assessment: We will require Departments to publish Regulatory Impact Assessments
(RIAs) before Government decisions are taken, thereby offering a further channel to obtain the views of civil
society on new rules and regulations.
Employment Regulation: To protect jobs, we will review and renegotiate the Employment Regulation
Orders (ERO) imposed on the hotel, restaurant, security, agricultural, retail and other sectors under the Joint

56 l Fine Gael Manifesto

Labour Committee system within six months. We will also allow employers and workers in ERO sectors
to negotiate enterprise-level collective agreements with their own staff which will make them exempt
from the ERO. All existing employment law will be consolidated into a Single Employment Act to ease
compliance for employers.
Public Procurement: We will use Public Procurement as a tool to support innovative Irish firms. Tender
documents, regulations and procedures will be reformed to make it easier for Irish SMEs to gain access to
valuable public contracts.

15.10 C
 utting Business Costs by Strengthening Competition in
Sheltered Sectors
A New Powerful Consumer Champion: We will merge the Competition Authority, the National Consumer
Agency (NCA), the Communications Regulator (ComReg), Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) and the
Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) into a powerful consumer champion, and we will give it additional
powers – by constitutional change if necessary – to break up public and private sector monopolies and
cartels.
Opening Up Sheltered Sectors to Competition: We will take additional actions tackle the high costs
from sheltered sectors of the economy – such as transport, medical, waste and legal services – by better
regulation and by removing barriers to entry.
Commercial Rent Reviews: We will pass legislation to give all tenants the right to have their commercial
rents reviewed in 2011 irrespective of any up-ward only or other review clauses.

15.11 Unleashing the Potential of High Growth Sectors
International Education: We aim to double the number of international students in five years, bringing
revenue in this sector to €1.8 billion annually and creating at least 6,000 jobs, in part through a radical
overhaul of the visa system that fast-tracks student visas from key markets and provides Green Cards for
PhD graduates in high growth sectors of the economy.
International Financial Services: A Fine Gael Government will establish a dedicated new public-private
partnership to promote the IFSC, particularly in South East Asia, the Middle East and South America.
The Digital Gaming Industry: The rise of casual gaming, apps and smart phones have revolutionised
digital gaming design. Ireland has traditionally performed strongly in the creative industries such as film
and animation and with the right supports in place digital gaming can be the next big creative industry
in Ireland. Fine Gael will set aside €10m from Innovation Fund Ireland for a seed capital scheme for Irish
digital gaming start-ups to expand the industry from the ground up and also we will introduce a digital
media component to Transition Year programmes and promote Ireland as a digital gaming hub.
Digital Media: Fine Gael wants Ireland to become a global base for digital media, creating thousands of
jobs over 10 years, by focusing on such areas as data warehousing, rights, licensing etc.
Travel Tax: International access is vital to Irish economic recovery. That is why Fine Gael will abolish the €3
travel tax subject to a deal being agreed with Ryanair and Aer Lingus to re-open closed routes and bring
more tourists into Ireland. If no deal can be done, there will be no reduction in the tax.
Construction: Our NewERA programme will release an extra €7 billion investment in water, energy and
broadband, stimulating significant employment creation in construction, engineering and other related
professions and crafts. Fine Gael is committed to protecting all small building subcontractors that have
been denied payments from bigger companies by implementing the main provisions of the Construction

Fine Gael Manifesto l 57

Contracts Bill that will require notice of an intention to withhold contractor payments or else payments
should be made in full or the payee may suspend all works or services. Fine Gael is also committed to
supporting the development of the Cork City Docklands. Fine Gael is committed to finance, with other
stakeholders, the commissioning of an economic development study for the Cork Docklands, to determine
the future potential of the site with a view to progressing a development that is ambitious and viable.

15.12 Making it Happen
A New Cabinet Office: We will convert the Department of An Taoiseach into a Cabinet Office that oversees
the delivery of a Programme for Government and that will ensure that our job creation priorities are
reflected across all Departments.
A New Department of Jobs and Economic Planning: In order to enhance political and administrative
attention across Government on pro-employment, pro-competitiveness enterprise and regulatory policies
needed for economic recovery, we will merge Forfás into the Department of Enterprise, Trade and
Innovation to create a new Department of Jobs and Economic Planning
A Dedicated Minister of State for Competitiveness: Continuing to supporting the Department and the
Minister will be the National Competitiveness Council (NCC). A dedicated junior Ministerial position will be
established within the Department of Jobs and Economic Planning to co-ordinate implementation of the
NCC’s recommendations to Government on measures needed to boost exports and jobs.
A Common Board for the IDA and Enterprise Ireland: We will appoint a common board to act as
directors of both Enterprise Ireland and IDA to strengthen linkages between foreign owned and indigenous
businesses to improve the capacity for job creation and export penetration.

58 l Fine Gael Manifesto

16. L
 ocal Government and
Housing
Fine Gael will restore power to Local Government. Recognising the disconnect between local authorities,
councillors and their respective communities Fine Gael will empower local authorities to solve problems
at a local level.

16.1 Local Government Reform
Restoring Power to Local Level: We will confront the traditional, centralised top down approach to
delivery and responsibility of local services by transferring powers and services from unelected Quangos to
Local Authorities in areas such as job and housing supports. By doing so we intend to make local authorities
more relevant to the communities they serve and to give people a say in how local services are provided.
Promoting Local Job Creation: Fine Gael will merge the local enterprise and job support functions of
local, regional and national agencies into a single business and enterprise unit within Local Authorities.
This will allow the streamlining of local job creation and support functions, increased shared knowledge
capability and resources while saving on administration costs.
Directly Elected Mayor for Dublin: We support the concept of a directly elected Mayor for Dublin but
reforms of local government are firstly required to avoid additional costs and bureaucracy. Fine Gael will
implement these reforms before creating a directly elected Mayor for Dublin in 2014 to co-incide with the
local elections.
Efficient Local Government: Fine Gael will reduce wasteful spending and cut back the bloated structures
of politics and public administration built up over the last decade. We will deliver at least 80% of the
spending savings recommended by the Local Government Efficiency Review, including cutting the
number of county/ city managers from 34 to 24 and reducing senior managers in local authorities.

16.2 Housing
Home Improvement Scheme: We will double funding for home energy efficiency and renewable energy
programmes until end 2013. Pre-announcing the closure of taxpayer funded schemes will encourage
homeowners to invest now and stimulate extra activity in this area and create an additional 5,000 jobs.
We will also temporarily expand this scheme to include septic tank remediation assistance and radon gas
prevention products to protect public health.
Fine Gael will roll out a ‘pay as you save’ scheme post 2013 to continue home energy efficiency retrofitting
work without recourse to public funding.
Family Home Repossessions: Fine Gael will increase mortgage interest relief to 30% for First Time Buyers
in 2004-08 (from the current sliding scale of 20% to 25% depending on the year the mortgage was taken
out), financed in part by bringing forward the abolition of relief for new buyers from June 2011.
Fine Gael is also fully supportive of new guidelines to compel banks to give homeowners every chance to
renegotiate the terms of their mortgage to avoid repossession during difficult times.
Funding Local Government: Fianna Fail’s proposal, now endorsed by the Labour Party, to introduce by
2014 an annual, recurring residential property tax on the family home is unfair. But as we tackle the fiscal
crisis, we will have to cut central exchequer funding for local authorities, and we recognise that local

Fine Gael Manifesto l 59

authorities will have to find more sustainable sources of revenue appropriate to local circumstances. What
will be viewed as fair in South Dublin might be viewed as unworkable in rural Clare.
In this context, we will empower local authorities to put in place, following the 2014 local elections, fairer
alternatives to Fianna Fail’s and Labour’s recurring annual tax on the family home. The options would include:
• No extra local taxes, forcing local authorities to close non-priority services and / or to deliver increased
efficiencies;
• Increased local user charges for waste etc.; or
• The option of a local “site sale profits tax”. Such a tax would be levied on the profit made from the site
value on the sale of a residence (sales proceeds, less cost indexed by inflation, less stamp duty paid and
less home improvements)
The final measure might be considered as both fairer and more economically sensible than an annual
recurring property tax. Whichever option local electorates choose, for the first time since the 1970s local
government will have real independence from central government in deciding what services to provide at
local level and how to fund them.
Social Housing: Fine Gael will use the additional funding allocated in our Home Improvement Scheme to
improve the energy efficiency of older local authority social housing. Fine Gael will direct NAMA to study
the possibilities and consequences of seizing newly built vacant houses from bankrupt developers and
selling them to local authorities for social housing proposes.
Management Companies: We will change the rules governing management companies to provide more
security and protection to home owners suffering at the hands of unscrupulous developers.
Fire Safety: Fine Gael will legislate for tougher and clearer rules relating to fire safety in apartment
buildings and will introduce a new fire safety inspection and certification regime.
Homelessness: Fine Gael is committed to ending long term homelessness and the need to sleep rough.
We firmly believe that prevention is better than cure and in Government we will aggressively target the
root causes of homelessness, as in the long term it will be a more effective way to prevent homelessness.
A key part of Fine Gael’s public service reform strategy is to invest now to reduce future demand for
services. By having a dedicated body to coordinate policy across Government we can target initiatives
in cross cutting areas such as education, health care, and housing which will aim to prevent as much as
possible problems like homelessness, child poverty and other avoidable problems caused by lack of joined
up action. To address the issue of existing homelessness we will review and update the existing Homeless
Strategy, including a specific focus on youth homelessness, and take into account the current demands on
existing housing and health services with a view to assessing how to best provide additional services.

16.3 Building Better Communities
Ghost Estates: We will create tough penalties for developers that leave unfinished ghost estates and
those in breach of planning permission. In addition, within six months of entering Government we will
compel all local authorities to produce an action plan on how they intend to deal with each ghost estate
in their locality. We will also completely overhaul the system of planning development bonds to ensure
greater conditionality is placed on developers to finish projects to reduce the exposure of local planning
authorities to unfinished developments.
Planning Co-ordination: Fine Gael will seek to better coordinate national, regional and local planning
laws in order to achieve better and more coordinated development that supports local communities
instead of the current system that favours developer led planning.

60 l Fine Gael Manifesto

Anti-Social Hotspots: Fine Gael will target bad planning and anti social hotspots by developing a ‘Good
Practice Guide’ for planners and developers to make housing developments, streets and parks safer, better
places. The aim will be to draw attention to crime prevention principles which has been lacking in many
modern high density housing areas.
Local Transport: We will improve local transport access by making local transport plans an integral part
of local Development Plans. We will force all local authorities to develop a transport plan in conjunction
with their County/City Development Plans, and Local Areas Plans. A transport plan must make provision for
transport infrastructure and state clearly how local communities can access public transport.
Urban Centres: Fine Gael will create proper urban centres for the benefit of local communities by creating
new guidelines for urban and village centres so that we can renew and rediscover the concept of having a
genuine public space as the nucleus of any neighbourhood.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 61

17. Political Reform
Fine Gael’s New Politics is the most ambitious programme for political reform since the 1930s. We believe
that a broken system of government and politics, which Fianna Fail manipulated for its own electoral
advantage, is at the heart of Ireland’s economic collapse. In any Republic the people are supposed to
be supreme. Judged by that standard Ireland today is a Republic in name only. The expressions “Golden
Circle”, “Crony Government” and “Crony Capitalism” all describe the same thing: The abduction of our
Republic by both public and private sector vested interests, aided and abetted by Fianna Fail.

17.1	 Fine Gael Will Restore A Voice to the People
Reclaiming the Republic: Fine Gael wants to reclaim Ireland from the vested interests which have done
such terrible damage to our nation. We want to build a new Republic in which the interest of the people
and not those of the insiders are placed at the centre of politics in Ireland. In so doing we will be guided
by three key principles:
• Change must start at the top: The political system cannot ask others to change and make sacrifices if it
is not prepared to do the same. Fine Gael will cut the size of the Oireachtas by one-third by abolishing the
Seanad, if the public approve in constitutional referendum, and cutting the number of TDs by 20. In addition
ministers’ salaries will be reduced, political expenses fully vouched for and severance payments for ministers
axed. No political pensions will be paid to sitting TDs and no retired politician will get a political pension until
the national retirement age. Politics must be about service to the public, not financial gain for politicians.
• Change must be fundamental and comprehensive: Modern Ireland cannot be governed by a system
of government originally designed for 19th Century Britain. Ireland needs more than piecemeal reform. It
needs radical root and branch change.
• Change must involve the citizens: The people must be consulted on and involved in the process of
political reform. That is why we will establish a Citizens Assembly, along the lines of that used in the
Netherlands to make recommendations on electoral reform. It will be composed of up to a 100 members
who will be chosen from the public to reflect the demographic make-up of the country.
Constitution Day: A Fine Gael Government will also hold a referendum on CONSTITUTION DAY within
12 months of assuming office at which the people will be asked to approve the abolition of the Seanad
and other changes to the articles of the constitution covering the institutions of the State – principally the
Executive, the Dáil, the Presidency and the Judiciary. This referendum will not address the articles dealing
with rights/social policy as we want the focus to stay on political reform.

17.2	 Fine Gael Will Hold Government to Account
A Stronger Parliament Holding Government to Account: Fine Gael believes that an over-powerful
Executive has turned the Dáil into an observer of the political process rather than a central player and that
this must be changed. We will:
• Amend the Constitution to Give Dáil committees Full Powers of Investigation: The Abbeylara
Supreme Court decision currently limits the ability of Dáil committees to hold investigations into crucial
issues of public concern, such as the banking crisis
• Reduce the number of committees and give key committees constitutional standing: The Dáil needs
fewer but stronger committees, resourced properly
• De-politicise Committee Work: Chairs of committees will be assigned on a more proportional basis, while
legislation will typically be introduced in a heads of Bill format to increase the chance of cross-party support

62 l Fine Gael Manifesto

• Initiation of Legislation and Guillotines: We will give committees the power to introduce legislation,
while a new 10 Minute Rule will allow backbench TDs to introduce their own Bills. We will also tackle the
huge over-use of guillotines to ram through non-emergency legislation
Women in Politics: Fine Gael recognises that there needs to be a substantial increase in the number
of women in politics. We will ask the Citizens Assembly, which is examining electoral reform, to make
recommendations as to how the number of women in politics can be increased.

17.3	Fine Gael Will Overhaul the Way Politics and Government
Works
Devolving Power to Citizens: Government is too centralised and unaccountable. Fine Gael believes that
there must also be a real shift in power from the State to the citizen.
• Open Government Bill: This will significantly strengthen Freedom of Information; establish a
“whistleblowers charter”; register all lobbyists; and create a new Electoral Commission.
• A Ban on Corporate Donations: Fine Gael will introduce the necessary legal and constitutional provisions
to ban corporate donations to political parties.
• Stronger Local Government: We will move many of the functions currently being performed by agencies
– such as community employment and enterprise supports – back to local government and ensure that
all property-related revenues are part of the income stream of local government.
• Reducing the Voting Age to 17 and Giving Citizens the Right to Vote at Irish Embassies in the
Presidential Election: If this experiment is deemed a success Fine Gael will consider extending this
practice to general elections.

17.4	 Tackling Cronyism and Feather-Bedding in Politics
Cleaning Up State Boards: Where appropriate, Agency boards will be scrapped and managers will be
accountable directly to Ministers on performance against targets. Where Agencies can justify continued
separate legal identities and boards of governance, we will strengthen their democratic accountability by
introducing parliamentary scrutiny of the appointment of their chairpersons. Vacancies for all remaining
paid directorships on public boards will be advertised on the website of the Public Appointments Service,
and short-lists of qualified applicants will be presented to Ministers. To facilitate the transition to the new
regime, the directors of all State bodies will be asked to resign and re-apply for their positions within six
months of a Fine Gael led Government coming into power.
Severance Pay and Pensions: Fine Gael will abolish severance pay for Ministers. We will restrict the payment
of pensions to politicians so that a pension can only be received after someone has ceased to be a TD and
reached the national retirement age (currently 65). We will cap taxpayers subsidies for pension schemes for
politicians (and indeed for everybody) that deliver income in retirement of more than €60,000.
Ministerial Cars: We will halve the cost of the existing provision of ministerial transport. We will end the
automatic entitlement to a State car for every Government Minister. Instead, Ministers will be encouraged
to take public transport or use a personal car where appropriate. We will also introduce a car pooling system
for Office Holders, where cars are available at short notice with security-cleared drivers for Ministers.
Government Jet: We will introduce a new code of practice for the use of the government jet, ensuring
transparent and cost effective travel. To stamp out any abuse, cheaper commercial alternatives must be
taken when possible and permission to use the jet will require sanction from the Taoiseach’s Department.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 63

18. Public Finances and Taxation
Ireland now relies on other Governments and international institutions to fund our State. That Ireland
has been brought to this tragic juncture in our history reflects a massive loss of market and international
political confidence in the last Government’s economic policies.
Bringing order back to our public finances is now crucial to restoring our national sovereignty. Those who
founded the State sought to create the economic foundations for our political independence. The purpose
of the next Government, and the next generation, will be to turn again to that task.

18.1	 A Plan for a Current Budget Surplus
IMF-EU Fiscal Targets: Fine Gael accepts the fiscal targets set out in the National Recovery Plan, including
the 3% of GDP deficit target by 2014. We will review the scale, pace and timeframe of the fiscal adjustment
with the EU and IMF on an annual basis to take into account developments in the real economy.
€9 Billion 3-year Deficit Reduction Programme: Fine Gael’s Budgetary Programme sets out a 3-year
budget programme delivering €8.9 billion in deficit reduction measures by 2014, including growthenhancing measures and other policies needed to bring order back to our public finances in a fair and
credible manner.
A Current Budget Surplus by 2016: On the basis that Ireland achieves the growth rates projected under
the ESRI’s Recovery Scenarios (“low growth scenario” updated in July 2010), Fine Gael will achieve a surplus
of revenues over the day-to-day cost of running the Government by 2016. By 2016, a Fine Gael Government
will only borrow to finance the investments needed for a growing economy and population.
Earmarking the Proceeds of Growth to Debt Reduction and Investment: In setting this target, Fine
Gael is committing to using any proceeds of growth over the final two years of the next Government to
finance debt reduction and/or investment, rather than the types of pre-election tax and current spending
give-aways under Fianna Fáil that have so damaged our economy.
Renegotiating the IMF-EU Programme of Support: While Fine Gael accepts the IMF-EU deficit reduction
targets, we will seek to renegotiate with our EU partners to make the total cost of the bail-out package
more sustainable and affordable. Making Irish taxpayers borrow up to €25 billion in additional funds from
the EU / IMF at 5.8% to cover additional bank losses from fire-sales of loans and other bank assets to UK
hedge funds could push Irish Government debt to unsustainable levels and hinder recovery. We will seek a
mandate from the Irish people to renegotiate a more credible, fairer package that is better for Ireland and
Europe (see Section 3).

18.2	 Tackling the Deficit in a Way that Supports Growth and Jobs
Maintaining Investment in Vital Networks: As confidence in the Irish public finances is restored,
Fine Gael will sell state assets, reallocate the National Pension Reserve and restructure the commercial
semi-state sector to bring forward €7 billion in extra investment in water services, telecommunications
and energy, aimed at supporting demand and employment, and at providing the basis for sustainable,
export-led growth. These will be profitable, commercial investments. In this way, these investments will
not count as Government expenditure, and their benefits to jobs, growth and taxation will underpin fiscal
consolidation.
Keeping Tax Increases to a Minimum: Under a Fine Gael Government, tax increases will constitute 27%
– or €2.4bn – of the €8.9bn in measures needed to hit our fiscal targets. International evidence shows that
tax hikes on average raise the unemployment rate by three times more than spending cuts.

64 l Fine Gael Manifesto

This approach will bring total Government spending back to 50% of GNP by 2014, from 59% in 2010. This
will also set Ireland on a path towards the share of tax and Government spending in the economy recorded
in the late 1990s, when the Irish economy was returned to full employment through strong export-led
growth.

18.3 	Protecting our Competitiveness by Keeping Taxes on Jobs and
Investment Low
12.5% Rate of Corporation Profit Tax: Fine Gael will protect the Corporation Profit Tax rate at 12.5%.
Our low corporation profit tax rate remains an anchor of Irish industrial policy that draws foreign direct
investment and jobs into Ireland, fosters innovation and keeps companies from leaving for non-European
lower cost locations.
No Further Increases in Income Taxes: Following the massive income tax hikes of recent years, as well
as the introduction of the Universal Social Charge, Ireland is no longer a low tax country when it comes to
income tax. That is why Fine Gael opposes proposals to raise either the standard 20% or the top 41% rate
of income tax, or the further reductions to tax credits and bands proposed in the Government’s 4-year plan.
Combining the top 41% income tax rate, 4% employees’ PRSI and the top 7% Universal Social Contribution,
the marginal rate is already 52% for income earned over €32,700 per annum. Increasing the marginal rate
further would be counterproductive. It would discourage people from working harder, doing overtime
and aiming for promotion. It would inhibit companies from creating and locating highly-paid knowledge
economy in Ireland, and it would push self-employed people into the grey economy.
Employers’ PRSI: There will be no increased tax on employment such as Employers’ PRSI which can be as
high at 10.75%. To help employers hire people off the dole, we will halve Employers’ PRSI on jobs paying
up to €356 per week for two years.

18.4 	Other Tax Reforms to Support Job-Intensive Consumer
Spending
VAT Reform: The rise in the standard 21% rate of VAT committed to by this Government will be
accompanied by a temporary (2-year) cut of at least 1.5% in the reduced 13.5% rate of VAT on labourintensive services (construction, hotels, restaurants, hairdressing, newspapers etc.), bringing it down
to 12%. This will boost the competitiveness of our tourism sector and help divert domestic consumer
spending from import-intensive goods into labour-intensive domestic services.
DIRT: Deposit Interest Retention Tax (DIRT) will be increased from 25% to 30% to encourage higher levels
of household consumption.
Carbon Tax: The €15 per tonne increase in the carbon tax (to €30 per tonne) proposed by government for
2014 is excessive, and will be particularly hard felt by the elderly and in rural Ireland. We will reduce the
increase proposed in Fianna Fail’s Manifesto by €5 per tonne (to €25), with the effect that, compared with
Fianna Fail’s proposals, a bag of coal will be 60c cheaper, a tank of petrol (60 ltr) will be 78c cheaper, and
a 1,000 litres of fuel oil for home heating will be €17 cheaper. The application to solid fuels of the higher
carbon tax proposed by Fianna Fail will be phased in only when progress is made to control imports of
dirtier, more carbon-intensive solid fuels from the UK. To keep our food industry competitive, we will
provide an exemption from the additional carbon tax increases for agricultural diesel.

18.5 	 Other Tax Measures to Support Jobs, Enterprise and Growth
Travel Tax: International access is vital to Irish economic recovery. That is why Fine Gael will abolish the €3
travel tax subject to a deal being agreed with Ryanair and Aer Lingus to re-open closed routes and bring
more tourists into Ireland. If no deal can be done, there will be no reduction in the tax.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 65

A Single Business Tax for Micro Enterprises: Fine Gael will direct the Revenue Commissioners to examine
the feasibility of introducing – on a revenue neutral basis – a Single Business Tax for micro enterprises
(with a turnover of less than €75,000 per annum) to replace all the existing taxes on sole traders and small
businesses (i.e. income tax, corporation tax, capital gains tax, VAT and PRSI). This could cut compliance
costs and make starting a business much less daunting.
Making the R&D Tax Credit More Accessible to Small Firms: We will amend the R&D tax regime to make
it more attractive to smaller businesses. All R&D expenditures below €100,000 in any one year will become
allowable, as opposed to just the increment over the 2003 base year. We will also give companies the
option to offset the R&D credit against employers’ PRSI as an alternative to corporation tax.
Accelerated Capital Allowances on Software Purchases: To help companies to finance additional
investment in technology, we will accelerate Capital Allowances (from eight to three years) on software
purchases. This will not only support local, high-tech jobs in the software industry but will also facilitate
productivity increase across the economy.
Simplifying Tax Compliance: We will allow all companies to base their preliminary corporation tax returns
on prior year tax liabilities, reducing their need to hire advisers to estimate their current year tax liabilities
before the year is finished. We will also combine PRSI and tax data for employees, and simplify PRSI classes.
To ensure that this is a revenue neutral proposal for the State, we will also consider bringing forward a
proportion of the payment to earlier in the fiscal year.

18.6 Equitable taxes
Civil Partnership: We will amend tax law in a second Finance Act in 2011 to give effect to the rights for
civil partners and cohabiting couples introduced in the Civil Partnership Act 2010.

18.7 Cutting the Deficit by Broadening the Tax Base
Closing Down Tax Loopholes for the Rich: Income tax yields will be increased by restricting or eliminating
tax expenditures, tax shelters and tax exemptions to ensure that the wealthy cannot avoid paying their
fair share. We will suspend (now closed) property-based tax reliefs (subject to the forthcoming impact
assessment study), introduce new residency rules for tax exiles (as per the Commission on Taxation’s
“Economic Test” and reduce the thresh-hold of the application of the minimum effective 30% tax rate to
€250,000.
Water Charges: Fine Gael will only support the introduction of household water charges when
responsibility for water delivery is transferred from 34 local authorities to a single national water company,
which will be responsible for cutting operating costs and making the investments needed to fix water
leaks, as set out in detail in our NewERA plan.
Bank Dividends/Levy: As banks return to profitability and private ownership, we will target additional
contributions from the sector to repay the Irish taxpayer for the cost of the bank bail-outs. Initially, these
contributions will be in the form of dividends, but will over time be restructured into an additional bank
levy on the liabilities of the Irish banks that receive an explicit or implicit guarantee from the Irish State.
Funding Local Government: Fianna Fail’s proposal, now endorsed by the Labour Party, to introduce by
2014 an annual, recurring residential property tax on the family home is unfair. But as we tackle the fiscal
crisis, we will have to cut central exchequer funding for local authorities, and we recognise that local
authorities will have to find more sustainable sources of revenue appropriate to local circumstances. What
will be viewed as fair in South Dublin might be viewed as unworkable in rural Clare.
In this context, we will empower local authorities to put in place, following the 2014 local elections, fairer

66 l Fine Gael Manifesto

alternatives to Fianna Fail’s and Labour’s recurring annual tax on the family home. The options would
include:
• No extra local taxes, forcing local authorities to close non-priority services and / or to deliver increased
efficiencies;
• Increased local user charges for waste etc.; or
• The option of a local “site sale profits tax”. Such a tax would be levied on the profit made from the site
value on the sale of a residence (sales proceeds, less cost indexed by inflation, less stamp duty paid and
less home improvements)
The final measure might be considered as both fairer and more economically sensible than an annual
recurring property tax. Whichever option local electorates choose, for the first time since the 1970s local
government will have real independence from central government in deciding what services to provide at
local level and how to fund them.
Environmental Taxes: We will auction carbon permits under the EU Emissions Trading System from 2013.
Following consultation with industry, Fine Gael will introduce a new levy on packaging to prevent excess
waste from entering the waste cycle in the first instance.
Betting Tax: Fine Gael will draw from successful betting tax regimes in other jurisdictions to capture
revenue from overseas online betting operations that sell into the Irish market. The current regime will only
raise revenues from Irish operators and is therefore a tax on Irish jobs.   
A Fair Pensions Tax Reform: As a fairer and more effective alternative to Fianna Fail’s plans, we will make
tax savings of a similar scale through a combination of the following measures:
• A temporary, annual 0.5% contribution for all private pension funds, so that older beneficiaries of past tax
relief make some contribution to deficit reduction. An equivalent reduction could be applied to public
and private sector defined benefit entitlements;
• Abolition of PRSI relief on employer pension contributions;
• Allowing defined contribution pension savers to access funds early to meet their current business and
personal responsibilities (and taxing the draw-downs);
• A cut in the standard fund threshold for pensions to €1.5 million for public and private sector workers,
while also increasing the notional annuity cost of defined benefit, final salary schemes from the current
20:1;
• An increase in the “deemed distribution” rate on large (Annual Retirement Funds ARFs) to avoid their use
for inheritance tax planning.
Capping Tax Relief on Big Pensions: The net objective of our changes will be to cap taxpayer contributions
to existing public and private sector schemes that deliver pensions of greater than €60,000 in retirement,
while maintaining adequate incentives for younger, middle incomes families to continue to save for their
retirement. There will, per usual, be transition arrangements for those approaching retirement.
Fair Tax Treatment of Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs): We will put the tax treatment
of employer contributions to Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs) on an equal footing with
employer contributions to occupational pension schemes.

18.8	 Public Sector Numbers and Payroll
Additional Reduction in Back-Office Public Sector Numbers: As set out in our Reinventing Government
plan, Fine Gael will reduce the size of the public service by 10% – just over 30,000 – without undermining
key front-line services in health, policing and education, through over 105 reforms to cut back-office
bureaucracy and delivery improved value for money. This means that Fine Gael will reduce back-office
administrative positions in the public service by an additional 18,000 over and above the 12,000 reduction

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set out in Fianna Fail’s 4-year plan and by an additional 12,000 over the 18,000 reduction set out in Labour’s
plan. All of these extra reductions will be targeted at back-office administrative functions. These extra
reductions will be achieved through voluntary redundancies.
A Smaller Civil Service: As part of the overall reduction in numbers, the numbers of staff working in central
Government Departments will be cut by one-third, in part through six new shared-service operations in
Payments and Entitlements; Business Inspections; Pay and Pensions Administration; Procurement and
Property Management; IT; and Finance and Accounting.
A Smaller Political System: We will seek to cut the number of national politicians by 35%, while improving
the ability of our Parliament to hold the Government and its agencies to account.
Additional Measures to Cut Public Sector Payroll Costs: Excluding savings from headcount reductions,
Fine Gael will seek additional payroll savings of 1% each year, to be negotiated and delivered locally, out
of the costs of overtime, sick leave, flexitime, special allowances and expenses.
Leading by Example: A Fine Gael Government will implement the pay reductions for the 650 most senior
public servants recommended by the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in 2009. Fine Gael will also set
a salary cap of €200,000 across politics and the public sector.

18.9	Savings in Programme Spending from Reform and
Re-Prioritisation
Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR): Within six months of entering Government, we will complete a
Comprehensive Spending Review to identify non-priority and non-performing programmes, and services
that could be delivered in new ways at less expense to the taxpayer. This review will be steered by a senior
cabinet sub-committee and will critically examine every public spending programme against six key
tests:
• Does the programme serve the national interest or vested interests?
• Should the service be funded by taxpayers or service users?
• Is the State the best provider?
• Is it effective in meeting its goals?
• Can its efficiency be improved?
• Is it affordable in the current context?
An Bord Snip: As part of the CSR, we will deliver at least half of the savings options from the Special Group
on Public Expenditure and Numbers (“An Bord Snip”) including 100% if the savings recommended in the
Oireachtas budget.
Local Government Efficiency Review: As part of the CSR, Fine Gael will deliver at least 80% of saving
options from the Local Government Efficiency Review.
Quangos: As part of the CSR, we will cut the number of Government quangos, regulators and inspectorates
by 145, ending the confusing, wasteful fragmentation in service delivery.
Health: Our FairCare reforms represent the most radical overhaul of the health system in the history of
the State. By treating people with chronic illnesses in the community instead of acute hospitals, by only
paying hospitals for what they deliver instead of giving them block budgets and ultimately by dismantling
the expensive HSE bureaucracy, it will be possible to make significant further savings in the health budget
while protecting, and ultimately improving, the quality of Ireland’s health service.
Education: In order to avoid further increases in pupil-teacher ratios, we will work with the education

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partners to seek further efficiencies in work practices – in line with the Croke Park Agreement – and to
devolve more power to school principals and teachers to make tight budgets go further.
Enterprise and Training: We will create a new ‘one stop shop’ for getting back to work, the Payments and
Entitlements Service. It will provide extensive skills assessment, training guidance and job referral services
to the unemployed, as well as other welfare and service entitlements. Many job-seekers will continue to
be referred to existing FAS training centres and services, which will operate under a new slimmed down
governance structure. Community Employment schemes will be maintained and expanded but will be
managed by local authorities.
Justice and Policing: We will protect front-line policing by making savings in other areas. We will abolish
Prison Visiting Committees and amalgamate the Probation Service and Irish Prison Service into a single
Offender Management Service. We will reform the immigration system by establishing an independent
appeals mechanism which will reduce costly High Court judicial review cases. We will extend court sittings
to reduce the length of the asylum list and clear the backlog of those who need to be accommodated
pending their hearing. We will reform sentencing to cut the number of people in prisons for non-violent
offences, such as non-repayment of debts.
Energy Saving Subsidies: We will end taxpayer subsidies for residential and business energy saving
technologies in 2014, helping to achieve fiscal targets in 2014 while also stimulating extra activity in this
area as people accelerate investment plans in the interim period. From 2013, we will shift to a ‘Pay as You
Save’ scheme and on insulating public buildings that does not require taxpayer subsidies.
More “Choice and Voice” for Service Users: Across the public service, we will seek opportunities to make
limited resources go further by giving service users more choice and influence. Rather than giving fixed
budgets to traditional public service providers like the HSE, VECs and FÁS, we will put resources into the
hands of citizens to acquire services that are tailored to better suit their needs and less expensive for the
taxpayer.

18.10	 Cutting Welfare Costs While Protecting the Most Vulnerable
Protecting the Most Vulnerable: Fine Gael is committed to achieving the targets in the National Action
Plan for Social Inclusion to reduce the numbers of people experiencing poverty. Fine Gael will not cut the
Old Age Contributory or Non-Contributory Pension. Working-age payments to carers, the blind and the
disabled will be maintained at current levels.
Universal Social Charge: Fine Gael will carry out a review of the effect of the Universal Social Contribution
on work incentives and employment participation in time for the 2012 Budget.
Making Work Pay: Welfare will be reformed to make re-entry into paid work more attractive. As wage
levels in the economy revert to more competitive levels in order to protect employment, it will be
necessary and fair to also reduce social welfare payments for those with the capacity to work beginning
with €3 weekly cuts in 2012 and 2013 and a final €4 cut in 2014. Rent supplement and other secondary
benefits will be converted into means-related supports that are unaffected by working status (with tapered
withdrawal). There will be additional conditionality whereby benefits will be reduced if recipients refuse
offers of training, education or work experience.
Tackling Social Welfare Fraud: Further reductions in job-seekers’ payments and other working age social
welfare payments will be minimised by cutting the massive levels of fraud, mistakes and administrative
cost associated with the current welfare system. Fine Gael will create, out of a merger and rationalisation
of existing structures, a new “one-stop shop” Payments and Entitlements Service (PES) to process all major
welfare and other entitlements. The PES will be mandated to apply global best practices to cut down on
fraud and mistakes in the social welfare payments, including the introduction of a new ‘Smart Identify

Fine Gael Manifesto l 69

System” and of new powers to withdraw or reduce welfare payments for people convicted twice of a
welfare offence.
Pensions: Fine Gael will increase the age at which people qualify for the State Pension to 66 years in 2014,
in line with the existing EU/IMF agreement. Fine Gael will fundamentally reform the pension system to set
Ireland on a path to achieve universal coverage, more generous supports for the lower paid, greater equity
between public and private sector workers, lower costs, lower risks for individual savers and more flexible
retirement arrangements.
Social Protection for Entrepreneurs: We will appoint a Commission to report within six months on
changes that should be made to the tax and social welfare system to provide greater protection for selfemployed people who fall on hard times.
A More Targeted Child Allowance: In government, Fine Gael will implement a rebalanced and integrated
“Child Income Support” with universal and targeted components to make the overall system more
coherent and effective, and to deliver target savings of €250 million by 2014 (about 7.5% of the current
total budget for child supports). The “Child Income Support” will replace Child Benefit, the Qualified Child
Increase and the child related component of the Family Income Supplement. It will be integrated into the
social insurance system to support the low paid at work. We will protect the 300,000 children at greatest
risk of poverty from any cuts in child income support.

18.11	 Smarter Ways to Prioritise, Fund and Deliver Infrastructure
NewERA: Under Fine Gael’s NewERA plan, streamlined and restructured semi-State companies will invest
an additional €7 billion, over and above current plans, over the next four years in “next generation”
infrastructures in energy, broadband, forestry and water. Some of these investments – in water
infrastructure for example – will offset cuts to exchequer spending planned by the present Government.
The National Pension Reserve Fund: In discussions with the IMF, Fine Gael has confirmed that some funds
from the National Pension Reserve Fund and proceeds from the sale of state assets are available, under
conditions to be agreed, to finance the NewERA investment programme. The investment programme –
and the accompanying semi-state restructuring process – will be financed and pro-actively managed by a
New Economy and Recovery Authority (NewERA), which will absorb the current National Pensions Reserve
Commission. In the longer-term, sales of state assets will help reduce Ireland’s debt levels to help prepare
the public finances for increased pension spending on an ageing population.
Re-Prioritisation of Exchequer Capital Spending: Given the constrained fiscal situation, exchequer
capital funding will be reprioritised for smaller projects that deal with specific immediate problems. Recent
weather events have resulted in significant damage to existing infrastructures. Dealing with specific
local bottlenecks carries the highest return. Not dealing with this damage is likely to result in a further
deterioration of the infrastructure and will have wider economic costs. Smaller projects are more labour
intensive and more likely to be carried out by local contractors increasing short-run domestic economic
impact.
Review of Decision Making Processes: In the absence of proper structures and procedures for the
selection of projects, many projects that have been promoted by the current Government are highly
questionable. Going ahead with these without a re-evaluation risks wasting scarce resources. We will
review the structures and processes used to make decisions on major infrastructure projects/programmes.
The current situation where agencies, whose raison d’être depends on finding new projects, control the
decision making process is subject to significant moral hazard.

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18.12	Budget Reform to Eliminate Waste and Restore Confidence
Independent Fiscal Council: Fine Gael will establish an independent Fiscal Council and a fiscal
responsibility law to ensure that Governments respect prudent fiscal rules set by the Oireachtas, and to
assess the economic assumptions on which Government budgets are based.
Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment: We will ask the Oireachtas Finance Committee and the
new Independent Fiscal Council to complete an assessment within six months of the merits of proposing
a constitutional amendment – which would have to be approved by referendum – to set limits on the
freedom of any future Government to spend more than it takes in revenue, adjusting for the cyclical state
of the economy and for natural disasters.
Opening up the Budget Process to More Scrutiny: Fine Gael will open up the Budget process to the
full glare of public scrutiny in a way that restores confidence and stability by exposing and cutting failing
programmes and pork barrel politics. Public bodies will be required to openly compete for budget
resources by publishing their pre-budget spending requests, and what they would deliver in return
for such allocations to help deliver the Programme for Government. Fine Gael will publish cost-benefit
analyses for major infrastructure proposals and “tax expenditures” in advance of Government approval.
Office of Public Spending and Modernisation: Responsibility for public service modernisation (including
the preparation of the annual spending estimates) will be vested in a new Office of Public Spending and
Modernisation, which will also be responsible for expenditure management within the overall envelopes
determined by the Minister for Finance, and will be represented by a Minister at Cabinet.
Reforming the Department of Finance: For too long the Department of Finance has misdiagnosed
the state of the Irish economy, damaging the country’s credibility with international markets. A Fine
Gael Government will make an external appointment through open competition of an economist of
international repute to head up the Department’s Budget and Economic Policy division.
More Spending Transparency: Every Purchase Order by a Government Department or agency for more
than €20,000 will be published online. We will also give the Comptroller and Auditor General and Oireachtas
Committees the extra powers needed to carry out value-for-money audits of State programmes.

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19. Public Sector Reform
Changing the politicians around the cabinet table is necessary to restore confidence in Ireland’s
Government, but that alone will not be enough to put the country back on track. What are also needed are
fundamental changes in the structures and systems of the State itself to improve the quality of governance
experienced by the country, and to chart our economy’s course back to full employment.

19.1 A Smaller, Better, Less Expensive Government
Reinventing Government: Our Reinventing Government plan commits Fine Gael to making over 100 real,
tangible changes to the shape, size, ethos and ways of working of the State and its public service designed to:
• Save one euro in every ten spent by public bodies – over €5 billion – by confronting waste, duplication
and inefficiency;
• Cut the size of the public service by at least 10% from 2010 levels (30,000 positions), including a one-third
cut in the numbers of politicians and of staff working in Government Departments, protecting resources
for the front-line;
• Cut the number of public bodies, regulators and inspectorates by 145, ending the confusing and wasteful
fragmentation in service delivery;
• Pin down accountability for results at every level of the public service – from Ministers down – with clear
consequences for success and failure.
Croke Park Agreement: Pending a built-in review of its implementation, Fine Gael remains committed to
honouring the pay elements of the Croke Park Agreement. Fine Gael has always indicated its commitment
to go beyond the Croke Park Agreement in terms of the reform agenda needed to get Ireland working
again. The planned reduction in public sector numbers will be achieved through voluntary mechanisms.

19.2 A Smaller, More Strategic, More Skilled Centre of Government
A Cabinet Office: We will downsize the Department of An Taoiseach, re-assigning non-core functions and
transforming it into a Cabinet Office that oversees the delivery of a new Programme for Government.
Reforming the Department of Finance: We will bring in new leadership and skills into the Department of
Finance to restore its capacity and credibility in financial and macro economic management.
Office of Public Spending and Modernisation: Responsibility for public service modernisation (including
the preparation of the annual spending estimates) will be vested in a new Office of Public Spending and
Modernisation, which will also be responsible for expenditure management within the overall envelopes
determined by the Minister for Finance, and will be represented by a Minister at Cabinet (analogous to the
Chief Secretary of the Treasury in the UK).
Senior Public Service: We will create a new Senior Public Service where senior officials are rotated across
the public sector to nurture the collaborative culture needed to tackle the biggest cross-cutting social and
economic challenges.
A Smaller Staff in Government Departments: As routine tasks are rationalised and automated and
control over service delivery is devolved to the front-line, we will reduce the number of civil servants
working in central policy-making Departments by a third (from about 17,000 at present).
Upskilling: Civil servants from Administrative Officer grade and above will be required to adopt a specialised
“skills stream”, such as human resources management, procurement, finance, economics, corporate services
or information technology. This will require additional investment in upskilling across the civil service.

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Bringing in New Skills: All appointments at Principal Officer and above will be open to external
competition and at least one-third of such appointments will be reserved for candidates from outside
traditional civil service structures for a 5-year period.
Setting an Example during Fiscal Austerity: We will set a salary cap of €200,000 across politics and the
public sector. The pay reductions for 650 of the most senior public servants recommended by the Review
Body on Higher Remuneration in 2009 – will be implemented.

19.3 Greater Openness and Performance Accountability
Public Service Agreements: Ministers in a Fine Gael Government will sign – in public – Public Service
Agreements with service delivery bodies, specifying the activities, outputs and long-term outcomes that
the Government will promise to the Oireachtas in return for money from the taxpayer.
On-Line Work Plans: Consistent with the new Agreements, the individual annual work objectives of the
top 1,300 civil servants (Principal Officers and above) will be published on-line.
Public Service Delivery Reports: Performance and progress will be published in new, audited annual
Public Service Delivery Reports. Oireachtas Committees will expose failure to hit milestones and targets.
In this sense, every Committee will take on new powers similar to those currently wielded by the Public
Accounts Committee to hold Ministers and public servants to account for value for money in their relevant
areas. This will then feed into the Oireachtas’ consideration of the next Budget.
More Accountable Agencies: Where appropriate, agency boards will be scrapped and agency managers
will be accountable directly to Ministers on performance against targets as part of a new UK-style “executive
agency” governance structure.
Public Bodies: We will encourage all public bodies to take due note to equality and human rights in
carrying out their functions.
Appointments to Agency Boards: Where agencies can justify continued separate legal identities and boards
of governance, we will strengthen their democratic accountability by introducing parliamentary scrutiny of
the appointment of their chairpersons. Vacancies for all remaining paid directorships on public boards will be
advertised on the website of the Public Appointments Service, and short-lists of qualified applicants will be
presented to Ministers. To facilitate the transition to the new regime, the directors of all State bodies will be asked
to resign and re-apply for their positions within six months of a Fine Gael led Government coming into power.
Freedom of Information: Restrictions introduced by recent Governments to Freedom of Information in
the public sector will be reversed.
Open Government: Subject to exceptional considerations, memos to Government prepared by the civil
service will be published within two years. We will also empower public servants to give testimony to the
Oireachtas on matters of policy, reflecting the reality of the authority delegated by Ministers to them and
their accountability for the way it is exercised.
OpenGov.ie: We will establish a new public sector website www.opengov.ie to publish more Government
data for public sector scrutiny, including:
• Real-time public sector purchase orders for over €20,000
• Real time energy consumption data for Government departments and agencies
• Real-time hospital waiting times and latest infection rates
• Pay levels for top public sector staff
• Absenteeism levels for every public sector body

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19.4 Revolutionising the Budget
Fiscal Advisory Council: We will establish an independent Fiscal Advisory Council within the Oireachtas to
ensure that future Governments respect new, prudent fiscal rules set by the Oireachtas.
Open Competition for Resources: Public bodies will be required to openly compete for budget resources
by publishing their pre-budget spending requests during the Estimates Process, together with the
promised activities and outputs for the citizen.
Cost-Benefit Analyses: We will publish cost-benefit analyses for proposed major infrastructure projects
and “tax expenditures” in advance of Government approval.
Transparency in Public Spending: Public sector bodies will be required to publish balance sheets and to move
to accruals from cash-flow accounting. Every Purchase Order for more than €20,000 will be published online.
More Rigorous Value-for-Money Audits: We will give the Comptroller and Auditor General and Oireachtas
Committees the extra powers needed to carry out value-for-money audits of State programmes.

19.5 Streamlining Government and Cutting Quangos
An Bord Snip: We will implement a majority of the (non social-welfare) recommendations from the
McCarthy Report, including all the recommended savings for the Oireachtas and running the political
system.
Local Government Efficiency Review: We will deliver at least 80% of the spending savings recommended
by the Local Government Efficiency Review, including cutting the number of county/ city managers from
34 to 24 and the number of senior managers in the Dublin and Cork local authorities by 15%;
Shared Back-Office Services: We will establish three new shared service operations for Human Resources,
Information Technology and Legal Services. Once established, we will cut 10% off the administration
budgets of all Government Departments and public bodies to reflect to cost efficiencies available from
procurement of services from these new shared service organisations.
A “One Stop Shop” Public Entitlements Services: We will create, out of a merger and rationalisation of
existing structures, a new “one-stop shop” Public Entitlements Service (PES) to process citizen entitlements,
including supplementary welfare allowances managed by the HSE Community Welfare Officers; medical
card applications administered by the HSE; higher education grants administered by local authorities
and VECs; housing supports administered by local authorities; welfare allowances administered by the
Department of Social Protection and employment referral and training supports provided by FÁS.
A Business Inspection and Licensing Authority: Out of a rationalisation of existing structures, we create a
Business Inspection and Licensing Authority (BILA) that absorbs the existing business inspection activities of
Departments and agencies, starting with the Health and Safety Authority (safety laws); the National Consumer
Agency (pricing displays and consumer laws); and the National Employment Rights Authority (labour law).
Irish Water: We will establish a single state-owned commercial water company – ‘Irish Water’ – to take over and
rationalise the water functions of 34 local authorities, to address Ireland’s water needs in the 21st century.
SmartGrid: We will merge ESB Networks, Eirgrid and Bord Gais Networks into SmartGrid a single energy
grid operator for Ireland.
Bio Energy and Forestry Ireland: We will merge Coillte and Bord na Mona into a new single renewable
energy leader, Bio Energy and Forestry Ireland.

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Broadband 21: We will merge State-owned telecoms assets (spread between ESB, MANs, CIE, Bord Gáis,
National Roads Authority and Waterways Ireland) into ‘Broadband 21’ to work with private sector providers
to accelerate the build-out of a next-generation broadband network across the entire country.
Cutting Quangos: Altogether, we will reduce the number of State bodies and companies by at least 145.

19.6 Investing Now to Make Big Savings Later
First Steps: A proportion of the savings from our reform programme will be earmarked to fund a new,
targeted First Steps early childhood education programme aimed at breaking the cycles of disadvantage
and at providing pathways out of poverty.
Social Investment Bonds: We will introduce new Social Investment Bonds to finance a new generation of
“social entrepreneurs” to work alongside the State in tackling many of the most difficult social problems,
including obesity, illiteracy and criminal recidivism.

19.7 More “Choice and Voice” for Service Users
‘Money Follows the Service User’: Rather than giving fixed budgets to traditional public service providers
like the HSE, VECs and FÁS, we will put resources into the hands of citizens to acquire services that are
tailored to better suit their needs and less expensive for the taxpayer.
School Reports and Patronage: Schools will publish annual reports taking into account exam results,
facilities, extra-curricular activities, ICT resources, and special education resources. We will also deliver
better choice, diversity and standards in education by asking parents who they want at the helm of their
children’s schools.
Training Vouchers: To support training, we will re-allocate money from FÁS into Training Vouchers that
allow the unemployed to define and acquire their own re-skilling needs.
Money Follows the Patient: Instead of giving block budgets to hospitals, our FairCare plans will put in
place a “money follows the patient” system that pays hospitals for the patients they treat.
Personal Care Budgets: We will also give – out of existing HSE resources – adults and children with
disabilities and their families the option of Personal Care Budgets to choose the services they want and
need.
Fix My Street: In local services, we will establish a website – www.fixmystreet.ie – to allow residents to
report to problems with street lighting, drainage, graffiti, waste collection and road and path maintenance
in their neighbourhoods, with a guarantee that a local official will respond within two working days.

19.8 Empowering Public Servants by Devolving Authority
Devolved Authority: Agencies across the public service will get devolved authority – within strict budget
caps – to set their staff levels, recruit staff, automate or outsource routine processes and adapt employment
conditions to local staff and customer needs.
Hospital Trusts: We will, among other things, transfer the governance and management of HSE Hospitals
to Hospital Trusts, free to determine their staff mix and to find ways to incentivise cost efficiency,
productivity and quality. When the reform process is complete, the HSE itself will be dismantled.
School Autonomy: We will give school principals more discretion as to how the school’s budget is
deployed.

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20. Tourism
Our tourism industry sustains jobs, generates significant revenue and sells a positive image of the Irish
brand globally. Under Fianna Fail’s watch, visitor numbers have reverted back to 1998 levels and revenue
is down by €1.8billion since 2007. At the heart of our tourism sector are thousands of small businesses that
are being crippled under the current economic climate.
Fine Gael will develop Ireland’s potential as a tourism destination, using our unique natural resources,
cultural tradition, creative artistic and literary credentials that our country has to offer to bring tourists back
to Ireland. We will do this by increasing competitive access to Ireland and developing a more competitive
business environment.

20.1 Access
Travel Tax: International access is vital to Irish economic recovery. That is why Fine Gael will abolish the €3
travel tax subject to a deal being agreed with Ryanair and Aer Lingus to re-open closed routes and bring
more tourists into Ireland. If no deal can be done, there will be no reduction in the tax.
Airport Charges: Fine Gael will work with the Aviation Regulator to cut airport charges in order to deliver
increased routes, airlines and passenger numbers. We will allow Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports operate
independently.
Visitor Visas: We will explore the possibility of a new agreement on visitor visas with the UK, offering
tourists the opportunity to visit the UK and Ireland with one visa, at a reasonable cost. Ireland loses out on
tourists from markets outside the EU because of unnecessary red tape. A new visa agreement with the UK
would allow us to tap into the tourism market for significant events such as the forthcoming London 2012
Olympics.

20.2 Keeping Costs Down for Tourism Businesses
Cut to VAT Rate: We will reduce the 13.5% VAT rate to 12% for a period of two years which will benefit
tourism businesses.
Jobs Tax Cut: Fine Gael will halve Employers PRSI on jobs paying up to €356 per week for two years. This
will reduce by over 4% the cost of employing people in low paid sectors.
SME Loan Guarantee Scheme: Fine Gael will introduce a partial loan guarantee scheme for small and
medium sized businesses.
Reducing Other Labour Costs: We will review and renegotiate Employment Regulation Orders (ERO)
imposed on sectors such as hotels and restaurants.
Rates Review: Fine Gael will freeze rates and reduce them where possible. We will expedite the national
revaluation programme by the Commissioner of Valuation to review rates for businesses including hotels.

20.3 Communicating our Tourism Message
Tourism bodies: We will streamline the bodies dealing with tourism marketing, promotion and product
development to create a single voice for tourism.
Marketing Spend: We are committed to retaining a strong focus on marketing and see this as essential in
bringing tourists back to Ireland.

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New Markets: We will market the Irish tourism message in new markets such as Asia and untapped
markets in continental Europe.
London Olympics: We will develop and effectively market a London Olympics 2012 strategy to bring as
many tourists to Ireland during what will be a major tourism and sporting event in 2012.

20.4 Cultural Tourism
Historic Visitor Attractions: We will encourage the Office of Public Works and State agencies to work
effectively together to develop clusters of visitor attractions as a significant tourist draw for certain areas,
identifying attractions of outstanding scenic, cultural or historic appeal, of particular interest to those
attracted to niche holidays.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites: We will prioritise the development of specific Irish historic and cultural
sites that have the potential to obtain World Heritage Status.
Holiday Packages: We will target available resources at developing and co-ordinating niche tourism
products and activity packages that are unique to Ireland and are attractive to international visitors with a
particular focus on niche tourism areas such as; food, Sports, Culture, Ecotourism, Activity breaks, Waterbased recreation and Festivals.
Genealogy Tourism: Fine Gael will examine the feasibility of releasing the 1926 census to stimulate
genealogy tourism. We will also explore philanthropic opportunities for the development of a national
archives and genealogy quarter, providing easy access to archives and tapping into an area of cultural
tourism which is of huge interest to the vast Irish diaspora.

Fine Gael Manifesto l 77

21. Transport
Ireland needs a safe, integrated and sustainable transport network that is efficient and provides the
taxpayer with value for money. Fianna Fail has failed to confront poor performing transport organisations
such as CIE and the DAA, and instead has allowed these companies to limit competition in their sector. The
public can be better served by encouraging the private sector to invest in and compete with public sector
monopolies.
We will promote ambitious and far reaching transport policies that tackle issues such as electric car
networks and fully integrated transport services, while facilitating competition. We will also be putting
public transport at the forefront of capital investment and will ensure these projects stimulate the
economy, create jobs and improve our competitiveness.

21.1 Public Transport
Nationwide Bus Competition: We will completely overhaul the bus market in Ireland by introducing
competitive tendering for all bus routes in the country as soon as practicably possible. More operators will
provide more routes and services to the public and at a cheaper cost to the taxpayer and passenger.
Community and Rural Transport Services: We will maintain and expand the rural transport network as
a reliable and sustainable transport service that is vital for rural communities. We will also deliver better
services by integrating the school transport and non-emergency HSE transport with the Rural Transport
Programme locally as much as is practicable.
Rail Services: We will support the expansion in range and frequency of high capacity commuter rail
services, particularly Metro North and the Western Rail Corridor, which will be subject to a cost benefit
analysis by independent experts. We also recognise the need to maximise the integration of our public
transport services through route management and integrated ticketing.
Rail Electrification: Fine Gael supports the electrification of our rail network and will pursue further
electrification subject to the availability of finance. Priority will be given to the electrification of the
Maynooth to Dublin and Kildare to Dublin suburban rail lines.
Public Transport Safety: We will create a single transport safety body comprising the Road Safety
Authority, the Railway Safety Commission and the Maritime Safety Directorate.
Roll Out Park-and-Ride Facilities: We will develop Park & Ride facilities as local transport ‘hubs’ with some
local services beginning or terminating at the facilities. We will direct the National Transport Authority to
take advantage of existing State lands to develop these facilities on major public transport routes into
major urban centres.
Taxis: We will review the Nine Year Rule and will look at options to encourage existing taxi licensees to upgrade
to new emission friendly vehicles. We will subsidise the upgrade of wheelchair accessible taxis. We will direct
An Garda Siochana to robustly enforce taxi regulation through a national crackdown on illegal taxis.
Public Electric Vehicles: We will carry out a feasibility study to examine the possibility of replacing most
government vehicles with electric vehicles.

21.2 Ministerial Transport
Ministerial Cars: We will end the automatic entitlement to a State car for every Government Minister.
Ministers will be encouraged to take public transport or use a personal car where appropriate. We will also

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introduce a car pooling system for Office Holders, where cars are available at short notice with securitycleared drivers for Ministers. We will halve the cost of the existing provision of ministerial transport.
Government Jet: We will introduce a new code of practice for the use of the government jet, ensuring
transparent and cost effective travel. To stamp out any abuse, cheaper commercial alternatives must be
taken when possible and permission to use the jet will require sanction from the Taoiseach’s department.

21.3 Roads
Roads: We will adopt a road funding programme that is funded by the public purse and Public Private
Partnerships. We will ensure that future PPP projects are designed better to ensure an equal risk between
the State and private companies on falling traffic numbers.
Road Maintenance: We are committed to reprioritising capital funding to address the widespread
deterioration in non-national roads due to recurrent severe weather. Fine Gael recognises the necessity of
providing adequate funding for road maintenance and upgrade.
Adopt a Road Scheme: We will study an ‘Adopt a Road’ scheme that would allow private companies to
advertise on national routes in return for contractual agreements to keep sponsored roads litter free and in
good condition. The result will be better kept national roads and savings for the local authorities.
Motorway Rest Areas: We will ensure that motorway rest areas are built on all motorways. We will
immediately seek private sector investment to design, build and operate these rest areas.
Regulation of Private Clamping: We have introduced legislation to the Dáil to regulate the vehicle
clamping industry. In Government, we will pass new legislation to protect the motorist and regulate the
industry.
Incentives for Electric Vehicles: We will proactively incentivise consumers to switch to low emission
transport by providing an ambitious roll out of electric transport charging points and free parking for electric
vehicles. We will invite companies from the private and public sector to roll out these charging points.
Biogas as a Fuel Source: We will apply international best practice to put in place a biogas and biofuel plan
for the transport sector.

21.4 Road Safety
Mandatory Alcohol Testing: We will legislate for the introduction of mandatory alcohol testing at the
scene of an accident very shortly after entering government.
Drug Driving: We will work with the Road Safety Authority to introduce the most up to date technology
to test for drug driving. There must be a serious deterrent to combat the increasing prevalence for driving
under the influence of drugs.
Speed: We plan a complete review and overhaul of speed limit zones and signage across the country. We
will work with the RSA to develop “off road” driver learning centres to accommodate driver training in a
safe and controlled setting. We will require local authorities to target accident black spots for prioritised
upgrade. We will also ensure the increased use of speed cameras, specifically in accident black spots.

21.5 Cyclists and Pedestrians
Rewarding Successful Programmes: We recognise the success of the National Cycle Policy Framework
and the Dublin Bikes initiative. We will continue to invest in these programmes.

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Prioritise Cyclists and Pedestrians: We will ensure that cyclists and pedestrians have priority over road
traffic in built up areas and central business districts, thus further encouraging low carbon travel.
Safe Cycling: We realise the need to redesign cycle-ways to improve the safety and priority of cyclists as
set out in our local government reform document.

21.6 Aviation
Airport Charges: Fine Gael will work with the Aviation Regulator to cut airport charges in order to deliver
increased routes, airlines and passenger numbers. We will ensure that the Dublin Airport Authority is
exposed to benchmarking and competition within its sector. We will allow Dublin, Cork and Shannon
airports operate independently.
Regional Airports: We continue to support the role of our regional airports in a pro-active regional
development strategy.
Travel Tax: International access is vital to Irish economic recovery. That is why Fine Gael will abolish the €3
travel tax subject to a deal being agreed with Ryanair and Aer Lingus to re-open closed routes and bring
more tourists into Ireland. If no deal can be done, there will be no reduction in the tax.
Air Traffic Controllers: As an island nation, Air Traffic Controllers provide an essential service to the
Irish economy. We will legislate to ensure any ATC grievances must first be taken to the Labour Relations
Commission and then Labour Court before any industrial action can take place.

80 l Fine Gael Manifesto

