IF FIANNA Fáil is elected to Government, its priority will be to have a decent society with decent public services.
That’s according to the party’s spokesman on Employment Affairs and Social Protection Willie O’Dea who says that a Fianna Fáil Government would also raise the State Pension by €25.
The Limerick City TD said, “Our priority is to have a decent society with decent public services. We have a progressive Finance Plan, which seeks to end the crisis in housing and the crisis in health.
” Fianna Fáil will deliver for older people. A key priority for us in government will be to ensure that older people have the income and resources that they require to live full and independent lives.”
“We will increase the State pension by €25 over the lifetime of the next government. We will protect the Free Travel Scheme; allocate an additional €20million to Housing Adaptation Grants and provide an additional €5million home care hours over the next five years.
“Fianna Fáil will also ensure that those who are 65 but not yet entitled to a State pension will not have to sign on the dole. We will provide a transition payment, defer the increase in the State pension age and establish a Commission on Pensions to examine this issue.”
Deputy O’Dea also dipped into his party’s shopping list to promise a change in direction on Housing with a return to days of home ownership.
“We will return to building public housing. We will build 50,000 more affordable homes and 50,000 more social homes. We will increase the Help to Buy Scheme to help First Time Buyers. We will introduce a savers scheme that gives First Time Buyers a helping hand of €10,000 towards their deposit.”
And he says that Fianna Fáil have big plans to tackle the Health Service.
“A lack of resources in our Health Service is failing our most vulnerable particularly in the Mid-West with the A&E crisis at UHL. We in Fianna Fáil will add five million more Homecare Support hours, hire up to 1000 new consultants and hire 4000 new nurses and double the NTPF to €200m.”
And that’s not all.
In relation to childcare, Deputy O’Dea claims Fianna Fáil would increase State support to take some of the financial pressure off and ease the worries of mothers and fathers by quadrupling the weekly subsidy for every child under three in a crèche from €20 to €80.
“Under Fianna Fáil, we will introduce a new €2000 per year tax credit for workers whose child is being minded by a registered child minder – equivalent to €166 per month and extend the successful ECCE scheme, introduced originally by Fianna Fáil for three to five-year-olds by two weeks per year to 40 weeks. We would also increase maternity and paternity leave to a total of 34 weeks – to be shared at the discretion of parents,” he concluded.
