Interactive Party Manifesto Comparison

Fianna Fáil: Yes

Summary: Fianna Fáil is committed to increasing jobs through the National Recovery Plan. Proposed stimuli include maintaining expenditure on capital-building programs, such as the Metro-North rail-link and the introduction of schemes aimed at fitting households with water metres and increased efficiency insulation. In addition, it proposes a number labour market re-activation measures, such as investment in on-the-job training and the introduction of a Higher Education Labour Market Fund

Quote: "In the policies underpinning our National Recovery Plan is a series of investments in initiatives to increase the number of new jobs directly associated with exporting enterprises by over 150,000 jobs...." p.14

Fine Gael: Yes

Summary: Fine Gael proposes to stimulate employment demand mainly through active labour market policy measures. Such measures include tax incentives, such as the halving of Employer's PRSI on jobs paying up to €356 per week for two years and VAT re-structuring to help shift consumer spending from imported goods to labour-intensive services; public capital investment in water services, telecommunications and energy to increase short-term employment; and a number of labour re-activation measures, such as 'Welfare to Work' programs where the rate of welfare will be conditioned on job-seeking and training efforts

Quote: "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" P34

Labour Party: Yes

Summary: Labour proposes a number of policies in specific sectors to stimulate employment. Specifically, it will establish a Jobs Fund and encourage employers to hire off the live register by offering tax incentives.

Quote 1: "Labour's fiscal strategy provides for a €500 million Jobs Fund to finance a series of pro-jobs initiatives" p.16

Quote 2: "The Irish banking system has not provided the kind of investment finance that is required to meet Ireland's investment needs. To fill the gap Labour is proposing the establishment of a strategic investment bank" p.16

Sinn Féin: Yes

Summary: Sinn Féin proposes a €7 billion stimulus package which would create 160,000 jobs over 3.5 years along with a labour-intensive essential infrastructure programme.

Quote 1: "Sinn Féin is committed to a €7 billion job-creation programme spread over 3.5 years with the aim of saving and creating more than 160,000 jobs" p.19

Quote 2: "Sinn Féin is committed to establishing within the stimulus programme a €600 million Jobs Retention Fund" p.19

Green Party: Yes

Summary: The Green Party proposes to create 100,000 jobs in the Green sector, including 25,000 new jobs through the National Retrofit Program and 10,000 direct and indirect jobs through the expansion of the broadband network. In addition, the party supports a number of labour re-activation measures, as set out in the National Recovery Plan.

Quote: "In Government, the Green Party has facilitated the creation of over 20,000 Green Sector jobs, and has plans to create 100,000 more" p.5

Fianna Fáil: No

Summary: Fianna Fáil does not plan to abolish the HSE. However, it is committed to reducing duplication and resources spent on administrative and management grades within the current structure.

Quote: "There have been significant changes to the structures that deliver healthcare. The establishment of the HSE was a crucial step in creating a uniform health system. Now is not the time to dismantle a service that is still evolving" [FF Policy Statement on Health and Children 2011]

Fine Gael: Yes

Summary: Fine Gael's Fair Care policy involves splitting the HSE into two separate bodies: the first a Healthcare Commissioning Authority (HCA) for the acquisition of 'cure services', and a Care Services Authority (CSA) for the acquisition and provision of care services for the elderly, children etc. Once its proposed Universal Health Insurance system is introduced between 2016 and 2020, the HCA would cease to function.

Quote "Fair Care will split the HSE into two before the introduction of UHI. A Healthcare Commissioning Authority (HCA)...and a Care Services Authority (CSA)...Once UHI is introduced the HCA will cease to function and the majority of the people it employs will instead be employed directly by hospitals. Professionals whose work is not directly related to hospitals will have their employment contracts switched to the CSA" p.48

Labour Party: No

Summary: Labour's plans do not involve abolishing the HSE per se, but it does plan to change the structures of the service significantly.

Quote: "Labour's plan does not abolish the HSE outright. Instead Labour's plan transforms what we have already, so that the functions of the HSE are split" p.66

Sinn Féin: No

Summary: Sinn Féin is in favour of introducing a new universal public health system but does not make any specific reference to abolishing the HSE.

Quote: "Sinn Féin is committed to a new universal public health system that provides care to all free at the point of delivery" p.25

Green Party: No

Summary: The Green Party does not support the abolition of the HSE.

Quote: "[We propose to] carry out root-and-branch reform of the HSE to ensure that its decision-making processes are transparent and that it permits a reasonable measure of autonomy to local healthcare service delivery agencies in terms of how they achieve their targets" p.23

Fianna Fáil: No

Summary: While Fianna Fáil is committed under its four-year plan to make expenditure savings of €3 billion in the area of social welfare, it does not have explicit plans to further cut the social welfare rates, such as job seekers' allowance, child benefit and the state pension. While rate reductions are not ruled out, it is thought that they can be minimised if progress is made in structural reform and labour re-activation measures to reduce numbers on the live register.

Quote: "Our commitment is to achieve the further savings needed in social-welfare spending through reform of the system and enhanced control measures....." p.5

Fine Gael: No

Summary: Fine Gael keeps the option open of further reductions to job seekers' allowance, and other working-age social welfare rates. However, it is committed to maintaining the current level of the state pension, and payments to carers, the blind and the disabled.

Quote: "We will minimise further reductions in jobseekers' 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" P.5

Labour Party: No

Summary: Labour does not have any specific proposals in relation to reducing payments like the old-age pension, job seekers' allowance etc. However, rate reductions are not specifically ruled out either. Labour focuses on making efficiencies that will deliver a better service and save money.

Quote: "Labour will introduce efficiencies in the social protection system that will deliver a better service for users and save the Exchequer money" p.54

Sinn Féin: Yes

Summary: Sinn Féin is committed to reversing the recent cuts in the health and social protection budget and also says that when economic circumstances permit that social protection payments should be increased.

Quote 1: "Sinn Féin is committed to immediately return social welfare payments to 2010 levels, and as soon as economic conditions permit raise them further" p.21

Quote 2: "Sinn Féin is committed to restore the Christmas Bonus social welfare payment" p.21

Quote 3: "Sinn Féin is committed to reverse the current health cuts" p.26

Green Party: No

Summary: The Green Party has no plans to further reduce the rate of social welfare payments; however it is committed to the terms of the National Recovery Plan which includes a €3 Billion reduction in social welfare expenditure by 2014.

Quote: "Social welfare expenditure will be €3 billion lower in 2014 compared to the opening position in 2010.....Rate reductions will be ameliorated if substantial progress is made with structural reforms and labour activation measures" [p. 76 National Recovery Plan – available at http://www.budget.gov.ie/The%20National%20Recovery%20Plan%202011-2014.pdf]

Fianna Fáil: Yes

Summary: Fianna Fáil will seek to renegotiate the average interest rate on ESF funds as part of wider comprehensive package of reforms to the rescue fund, to be agreed upon in conjunction with other Eurozone members by the end of March.

Quote: "As a borrower, Ireland would clearly benefit from a reduction in the rate currently on offer. Fianna Fáil is continuing to work towards this aim" p.11

Fine Gael: Yes

Summary: Fine Gael will seek to renegotiate the rate of interest on the ESF funds.

Quote: "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" P.5

Labour Party: Yes

Summary: Labour proposes to seek renegotiation of the interest rate on the ESF loan.

Quote: "Put jobs and growth first. That means renegotiating the EU-IMF deal...to reduce the interest rate" p.5

Sinn Féin: No

Summary: Sinn Féin does not intend to draw down the IMF/ESF loan facility and makes no specific reference to renegotiation of the interest rate for ESF.

Green Party: No

Summary: The Green Party has not set any explicit plans to renegotiate the rate of interest on loans from the ESF.

Fianna Fáil: No

Summary: Fianna Fáil is committed to the current terms of the EU/IMF deal and the National Recovery Plan, neither of which include any proposals to renegotiate with boldholders of Irish banks.

Quote: "It is obvious that the terms of the EU/IMF Programme - from the interest rate on the loans to the issue of defaulting of senior bonds – cannot be renegotiated unilaterally" p.11

Fine Gael: Yes

Summary: Fine Gael favours certain classes of bondholders to assist in the cost of recapitalising troubled institutions and also that remaining bondholders in Anglo-Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide will share in the losses incurred while both institutions are wound up.

Quote 1: "Fine Gael in government will force certain classes of bondholders to share in the cost of racapitalising the troubled financial institutions. This will be done unilaterly for the most junior bondholders but could be extended as part of a European-wide framework for senior debt focusing on insolvement institutions like Anglo Irish and Irish Nationwide that have no systemic importance" p.16-17

Quote 2: "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...further losses incurred in this process will be shared with remaining bondholders" p.16-17

Labour Party: Yes

Summary: Labour favours bank bondholders sharing in the losses as part of a renegotiated EU/IMF deal.

Quote: "Labour believes that bank bondholders should share in bank losses. Depositors must be fully protected. Labour will seek to ensure that burden sharing with bondholders is part of a renegotiated deal" p.9

Sinn Féin: Yes

Summary: Sinn Féin is committed to burning the bondholders of Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide. They also favour a bank resolution plan and the nationalisation of Bank of Ireland and AIB.

Quote: "Sinn Féin is committed to sort out the banking crisis by burning the bondholders in Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide, abolishing the guarantee, introducing a bank resolution plan that protects depositors and completing the nationalisation of Bank of Ireland and AIB" p.18

Green Party: No

Summary: The Green Party does not make reference to any proposals to renegotiate with the banks' bondholders.

Fianna Fáil: No

Summary: Fianna Fáil put a greater emphasis on expenditure cuts than revenue-raising in its budgetary adjustment plan.

Quote: "Under our plan, two thirds of the money we need to bridge the gap in our public finances will come from savings in public spending. The remaining one third will be raised in taxation" p.6

Fine Gael: No

Summary: Fine Gael put the least emphasis of all the parties on taxation in its deficit-reduction strategy. It proposes that tax increases will only constitute 27% of the budget adjustment measures to reduce the deficit. Other revenue-raising measures such as the sale of state assets and expenditure cuts will make up the rest of the budgetary adjustment.

Quote: "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" P.64

Labour Party: Yes

Summary: Labour plans to close the gap in public finances on the basis of 50:50 tax:spending cuts.

Quote 1: "Labour's plan to close the gap in our public finances is split 50:50 between spending cuts and new revenue raising measures" p.5

Quote 2: "Labour believes the composition of the adjustment should be fairer and more balanced, including fairer taxation and on-going investments in education and other vital services" p.13

Sinn Féin: Yes

Summary: Sinn Féin is committed to introducing a number of additional revenue-raising measures and that is a central plank of their deficit-reduction proposals. It allocates a specific section of its manifesto to this issue, entitled 'A Fair Taxation System'

Quote 1: "Sinn Féin believes in providing high quality, free at the point of delivery public services and these must be paid for. This state does not have a spending problem in its structured finances: it has a tax raising and retention problem" p.22

Green Party: No

Summary: The Green Party is committed to the budgetary adjustment as set out in the National Recovery Plan, which involves a 2:1 ratio of spending cuts to increased taxation. [p.14 National Recovery Plan – available at http://www.budget.gov.ie/The%20National%20Recovery%20Plan%202011-2014.pdf]

Quote: "This package will comprise two thirds expenditure and one third revenue measures"

Fianna Fáil No

Summary: Fianna Fáil has no plans to reverse the minimum wage cut and remains committed to the measures enacted as part of Budget 2011.

Quote: "Employment in occupations covered by the NMW is typically dependant on domestic demand and is likely to be sensitive to changes in the wage rate. Given the desirability of growing employment in those sectors......the level of the minimum wage has significance beyond the numbers currently employed at that rate" [p.36 National Recovery Plan – available at http://www.budget.gov.ie/The%20National%20Recovery%20Plan%202011-2014.pdf]

Fine Gael: No

Summary: Fine Gael does not make explicit reference to reversing the Budget 2011 cut to the minimum wage in its manifesto or other policy documents. However, it proposes that its plan for enhancing employment growth by halving the employer's PRSI on employees with earnings of less than €356 per week will mitigate the need to further reduce the minimum wage.

Quote: "Less than 3% of Irish workers are actually employed at the minimum wage. Those earning the lowest levels of pay are not the primary source of Ireland's competitive disadvantage. (FG 'Working for Our Future' P. 34)

Labour Party: Yes

Summary: Labour plans to restore the €8.65 minimum wage rate.

Quote: "Labour will reverse the cut in the minimum wage implemented by Fianna Fáil and the Green Party" p.53

Sinn Féin: Yes

Summary: Sinn Féin proposes to restore the €8.65 minimum wage rate.

Quote: "Sinn Féin is committed to restore(ing) the minimum wage at €8.65 an hour" p.20

Green Party: No

Summary: The Green Party has no proposals to reverse the cut in the minimum wage, a measure it supported in government to enhance employment growth.

Quote: "Unit labour costs must also be maintained at competitive levels. Labour costs are the key element in overall cost competitiveness" [p.35 National Recovery Plan – available at http://www.budget.gov.ie/The%20National%20Recovery%20Plan%202011-2014.pdf]

Fianna Fáil: Yes

Summary: Fianna Fáil policy is that homeowners who lose their jobs should be assisted to retain their home during the period of unemployment. It proposes to introduce a deferred interest scheme (DIS) for borrowers who can pay at least 66% and prohibiting banks from moving homeowners in arrears off existing tracker mortgages.

Quote: "FF policy is that homeowners who lose their jobs should be assisted to retain their home during the period of unemployment" p.9

Fine Gael: Yes

Summary: Fine Gael would require banks who receive state-support to give mortgage-holders every chance to restructure their repayments through a Deferred Interest Scheme (DIS) which would allow borrowers who can pay 2/3 of their mortgage interest defer the remaining interest payments for up to five years. The party would also increase mortgage-relief for people who bought homes between 2004 and 2008 and ensure that mortgage-lenders will not be able to charge penalty interest on lenders who are co-operating in agreeing a new sustainable repayment plan.

Quote: "Fine Gael in 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" P.18

Labour Party: Yes

Summary: Labour would introduce a two-year moratorium on housing repossessions for those who make a genuine attempt to pay their mortgages. They would also develop a Personal Debt Management Agency to deal with the issue as well as make greater use of the Mortgage Interest Supplement.

Quote 1: "No repossessions should be permitted for at least two years, where a person makes a genuine attempt to pay their mortgage on a home of modest size" p.69

Quote 2: "stronger support for people in difficulties with their mortgage by converting the Money Advice and Budgeting Service into a strengthened Personal Debt Management Agency with strong legal powers. The agency will support families who make an honest effort to deal with their debts" p. 69

Sinn Féin: Yes

Summary: Sinn Féin will establish a debt-forgiveness scheme which will examine systems for recourse.

Quote: "Examine models for mortgage debt-forgiveness for those on low and average incomes who are in negative equity and who are in arrears. This would include look at making available a system of recourse for those struggling to pay their mortgages...Under such a scheme, householders should be permitted to hand back the keys and walk away from the mortgage without the debt following them" p.29

Green Party: Yes

Summary: The Green Party plans to establish a new Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP) which will oblige all lenders to consider alternative payment arrangements for those in arrears. They also propose reform of the Mortgage Interest Supplement (MIS) scheme and a new voluntary Deferred Interest Scheme.

Quote: "A new Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP)....will oblige all lenders to consider alternative payment arrangements for those in arrears" p.9

Fianna Fáil: Yes

Summary: Fianna Fáil has signalled its intention, as part of the National Recovery Plan, to increase student contributions to the costs of higher education during the period of the plan.

Quote: "Over the period of the Plan, it is intended that a higher student contribution to the cost of higher education will be made" [p.78 National Recovery Plan – available at http://www.budget.gov.ie/The%20National%20Recovery%20Plan%202011-2014.pdf]

Fine Gael: Yes

Summary: Fine Gael is in favour of increasing student contributions to cover one-third of the cost of third-level education in public institutions. It proposes to do this by the gradual implementation of a graduate tax, that will take effect once the student has entered employment and reaches a defined level of income. It proposes that the graduate tax will enable the eventual phasing out of student registration fees. In the interim, it will not further increase student registration fees.

Quote: "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 publicly funded third-level institutions after the student graduates, enters employment and reaches a defined income threshold" P.37

Labour Party: No

Summary: Labour is against the reintroduction of third-level fees.

Quote: "Labour abolished third-level fees in 1995 and we are opposed to their re-introduction" p.63

Sinn Féin: No

Summary: Sinn Féin is against the reintroduction of third-level fees.

Quote: "Oppose the reintroduction of third-level fees through any guise" p.28

Green Party: No

Summary: The Green Party makes no reference to re-introducing third-level fees in its manifesto or policy documents. However, the party signals its rejection of the Hunt Report which recommended significantly higher student contributions to third-level funding.

Quote: "[The Green Party] Reject[s] any recommendations in the Hunt Report that would result in students incurring penal debt. As part of the next government, the Green Party will carry out a comprehensive review of the funding of the third-level system" p.20-1.

Fianna Fáil: Yes

Summary: Fianna Fáil supports the abolition of the Seanad in the context of wider reforms of the electoral system and government.

Quote: "Serious questions must be asked about the continued role of an entity which is still struggling to justify its existence after three quarters of a century" p.30

Fine Gael: Yes

Summary: Fine Gael advocates the abolition of the Seanad and will hold a referendum on 'Constitution Day', in which voters will decide on the proposal, within 12 months of coming to office.

Quote: "A Fine Gael government will also hold a referendum on CONSTITUTION DAY within twelve 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" P.62

Labour Party: Yes

Summary: Labour will propose to Constitutional Convention that the Seanad should be abolished.

Quote: "Labour believes that a nation of our size, scale and composition only needs one strong, single chamber" p.46

Sinn Féin: Yes

Summary: Sinn Féin proposes abolishing the Seanad in its current form.

Quote: "Sinn Féin is committed to abolish the Seanad in its current form" p.34

Green Party: No

Summary: The Green Party advocates reform of the Seanad, including a cap on the number of Senators at 50, an end to Taoiseach's appointments and reform of the electoral system of Senators.

Quote: "10 Senators would be elected from a panel consisting of graduates of third-level institutions across the country.....The remaining 40 would be elected from a list system, divided across four regional panels based on the European Election constituencies" p.14