Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has said his party's top priority is to address the jobs crisis facing the country.
Mr Kenny was outlining his party's five-point plan to get Ireland working at the party's election headquarters in Dublin this morning.
He said we need a smaller and a better public sector - and he said the only alternative to public sector reform is tax increases.
Asked about the policy differences between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, Mr Kenny said Fianna Fáil's fiscal strategy has cut frontline services.
He said Fianna Fáil has had a banking failure at the heart of its policy and he said they created no change despite mouthings on reform.
Mr Kenny said new Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin seems to think he can emerge from the worst Government of recent years and expect people to forget all about it.
He said Fianna Fáil cannot emerge and think it can provide the solutions to all the problems of the country.
Fine Gael Finance Spokesperson Michael Noonan said the reduction of the deficit is a key point of the plan launched by the party.
It is important to do that in as fair a manner as possible, he said.
Mr Noonan claimed that Fine Gael would bring the current budget into balance in 2016, and that any borrowing at that point will be for investment to create growth and jobs.
He said tax rates would not be increased, either on income or on corporation tax, and that this will be possible through cuts in Government spending.
The party’s Spokesperson on Enterprise, Jobs and Economic Planning Richard Bruton said that Government will be made 10% smaller over the next five years under the Fine Gael plan published today.
He said accountability would be opened up in a more dramatic way, that civil servants will have their performance and commitments measured, and there will be consequences for failure.
Phil Hogan said if in Government Fine Gael wants to reduce Oireachtas members by a third and hold a referendum to abolish the Seanad
The party also plans to reduce the voting age to 17.
