Political debates can be a mixture of theatre and point-scoring exercises – but underpinning them are the policies of the parties. At least that is the theory.
Here is what we heard about those key issues at the RTÉ Leaders' Debate at the University of Limerick last night. Mícheál Lehane of our Political Staff reports.
Enda Kenny, Fine Gael
Tax: Fine Gael believes if you reduce taxes, you take in more money for the Exchequer. The Taoiseach gave an example of the VAT cut that boosted the hospitality sector. He said Fine Gael would abolish the Universal Social Charge. This was all part of a Fine Gael plan to ultimately bring home 70,000 emigrants to work here.
Health: The Fine Gael leader admitted his Government had not been able to fulfill all of the things it wished to do in health. But he pointed to the early signs of a universal healthcare system with free GP care for the under sixes and older people. He emphasised too that 47 primary healthcare centres had opened and 80 more are planned.
Housing: Mr Kenny said €3bn has been put on the table to build tens of thousands of homes by 2020.
Crime: He highlighted Government spending on Garda vehicles and new communications systems.
Coalition crux: Enda Kenny wants to form the next Government with Labour. Asked about a possible Fianna Fáil coalition, he said "certainly not".
Joan Burton, Labour
Tax: For every €1 cut to USC, €3 would be invested by a Labour government in public services.
Health: A national community-based health service would deliver better results, especially for patients with conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Patients would then only go to hospitals for acute procedures. The Labour plan also allows more nurses to be employed over the next five years.
Housing: The Tánaiste detailed the system that gives rent certainty for two years. Joan Burton said rent supplement increases were given through local community welfare officers on a case-by-case basis.
Crime: Labour would train 700 new gardaí in Templemore every year. More community gardaí would also be deployed. She said too that the Government had agreed to establish a new special criminal court.
Coalition crux: A clear message from Joan Burton here. She said vote Labour first and vote number two for Fine Gael.
Gerry Adams, Sinn Féin
Tax: The Sinn Féin leader said his party would use the vast bulk of €8.6bn to build social houses and to increase health spending. He also said around €1bn would be kept as a "prudent" contingency fund. The party would abolish property tax and water charges
Health: The party's vision for health is one that is free at the point of delivery. This would be paid for out of direct taxation. The right to healthcare from the cradle to the grave should be an entitlement, Mr Adams said.
Housing: The Sinn Féin leader said the solution was capital projects that would get people back to work and the construction of tens of thousands of social houses.
Crime: On crime, he said Sinn Féin would re-open rural Garda stations. It would also expand community alert schemes.
Coalition crux: "Get this crowd out and get a progressive government in" was his message to voters. Sinn Féin has consistently said it would only go into Government if it was the lead party.
Micheál Martin, Fianna Fáil
Tax: He said Fine Gael had made the biggest and most dangerous election promise ever with its pledge to cut €4bn in taxes. Mr Martin said the country must invest in health, housing, education and services for those with special needs.
Health: He said health was his party's number one priority and promised more beds and investment for hospitals. He said it was dishonest to say health does not need more funding and there is no point pretending it is going to get cheaper.
Housing: The party has pledged €5.4bn to build 45,000 social housing units. Mr Martin said more families are being driven into homelessness due to the failure to increase rent supplement. The gap between rent supplement and market rents is now enormous, he said.
Crime: The Fianna Fáil leader said the visible presence of gardaí on the ground is key. He also wants tougher sentences for burglary.
Coalition crux: Had ruled out a coalition with Fine Gael earlier in the day. Last night he claimed it was historic economic differences and not the civil war that most divided the two parties.
Stephen Donnelly, Social Democrats
Tax: He said the Government was making a false promise by claiming you can have European services with an American tax model. He said the USC was a necessary tax and instead advocated a reduction in the cost of living by tackling childcare, insurance and energy costs.
Health: A modern healthcare system moves care out of the hospitals, Mr Donnelly said. This means you need a national network of primary care centres. He also called for a culture change where doctors and nurses are trusted to make decisions about the system.
Housing: The Social Democrats want to create a senior minister for housing, an increase to rent supplement in the short term, and a new agency to co-ordinate the building of large housing developments.
Crime: Stephen Donnelly said it is time to give gardai the tools they need to do their jobs. He also wanted rapid Garda communication systems and an increase in the force's numbers to bring the total to 14,000.
Coalition crux: The Social Democrats will talk to anyone interested in bringing the country on a better path based on social democratic principles.
Richard Boyd Barrett, AAA-PBP
Tax: AAA-PBP would fund health, education, social housing and other public services by taxing wealth. This would focus on corporate taxes, a financial transaction tax and tax on high earners. Richard Boyd Barrett said €4bn could be raised if all foreign companies here paid an unavoidable 12.5% tax rate.
Health: The AAA-PBP believes it is cheaper if you don't have private healthcare providers involved in the system. Mr Boyd Barrett claimed that currently, heathcare is dished out on the size of your wallet and not your medical need.
Housing: The party wants old-fashioned council housing building schemes and rent controls. A new approach to mortgage insolvency that will keep people in their homes is also required.
Crime: The AAA-PBP says that if people want to re-open rural Garda stations, then they would back them. The party also wants to stop cuts to funding for crime prevention outreach programmes.
Coalition crux: Will discuss policy with anyone but will not betray principles to get into Government.
Lucinda Creighton, Renua Ireland
Tax: Proposed a flat rate of income tax of 23%. This would abolish 17 different rates of tax and about 120 tax loopholes.
Health: Renua believes it is about managing the health services properly. The party wants health to be depoliticised. It is proposing a national forum to develop a 20-year vision for the sector.
Housing: Renua has a plan to use private pension funds to build social housing on State-owned lands. This is how housing is built in Germany, Lucinda Creighton said.
Crime: The party says anyone convicted three times of a serious offence should automatically get a life sentence. The party leader admitted though that it hasn't worked in all states in America. Renua also wants to make parents legally responsible for repeat child offenders.
Coalition crux: Renua is open to do business with any party that promises a radical change in the political culture here.
By Mícheál Lehane of RTÉ's Political Staff
