Renewed Programme for Government

The renewed Programme for Government is available here (uploaded on scribd.com), in Microsoft Word format here, and in Adobe PDF here.

Following is a summary of the achievements:

The Economy and Public Finances

· We will revise our Capital Investment programme to take into account new budget realities and the need for us to meet our mandatory climate change emissions reduction targets.
· Introduce new targeted and efficient taxation policies which encourage the Green and Smart Economy.

· We will introduce a single 33% rate for tax relief on private pension provision.

· Eliminate unnecessary tax reliefs
· Reform residency rules to ensure that those who benefit from living in Ireland are subject to taxation in Ireland.
· We will abolish the employee PRSI ceiling
· Introduce Carbon Tax in Budget 2010. The principles underlying the carbon levy to be introduced in 2010 will be

• those most at risk of fuel poverty will be protected,
• we improve the fuel efficiency of our current housing stock,
• the relative tax burden on labour will be reduced.

· Starting with the necessary valuation and registration process, we will move to introduce a Site Valuation Tax for non-agricultural land.

• New system for financing local Government
• Introduce charging for treated water based on a system where households are allocated a free basic allowance, with charging only for water use in excess of this allowance.

Enterprise, Jobs and the Green Economy

· 127,000 jobs to be created in the Green and Smart economies over the next decade

· Green procurement to be introduced across the public sector to promote the green economy

· The €500 million Innovation Fund Ireland finalized this year with tenders issued early next year

· We will act on recommendations of the Innovation Taskforce

· We will roll out the €100 million Enterprise Stabilization Fund to secure viable but vulnerable export-led businesses.

· We will take on 1,000 Third and Fourth level graduates in Government Departments and provide valuable work experience.

· We will mandate the €200 million “Green Fund” in AIB and BOI to provide funding for householders participating in the Home Energy Scheme and firms aiming to become Energy Service Companies

· Participating institutions in NAMA will be obliged to offer a deposit account to consumers which will be ringfenced for lending to Green projects.

· Implement a Code of Practice for doing business in the Grocery Goods Sector

· We will conduct an independent review of the effectiveness of state agency support for enterprise, including the interaction between IDA, EI and County Enterprise Boards.

· The 12.5% rate of corporation tax will remain.

· We will introduce legislation to merge the Competition Authority and the National Consumer Agency and provide for the transfer of consumer functions from the Financial Regulator to the merged agency.

· We will expand the role of innovation vouchers in allowing growing local enterprises bridge the innovation gap in getting their products or services to market

· The Rural Development Programme will create 12,000 jobs in locally-based rural enterprises between now and 2013.

· Establish Community and Development Agencies as a ‘one-stop shop’ for advice on grant supports, business opportunities, training and development, and to manage grant spending under the new EU fund for rural development

· We will Reform FÁS to make it more accountable to the taxpayer and ensure it is fit for the purpose of equipping people for employment in Smart Economy.

· We will deliver 100MBs for all second-level schools by 2012 and make broadband available to every house in the country by 2012, subject to European Stimulus Funding.

Education

· No 3rd level fees

· 500 teaching posts at primary and secondary to be provided over next 3 years

· Plan to implement the Education for People with Special Needs Act

· We will immediately provide funding for 28 additional NEPS psychologists so that every school in the country will have access to the National Educational Psychological Service.

· The Government commits itself to no further increase in the pupil teacher ratio in primary and secondary schools over its lifetime

· Capitation grants to schools to be maintained; extra allocation to provide grant assistance for books and further allocation to fund transition year, LCVP, leaving cert applied etc

· Implement Travellers Education Strategy

· “Safe Routes to School” to be rolled out nationwide

· Continue to progress the Capital Building Programme at current levels

· Retain Summer Works Scheme

· Maintain NEPS funding, and language support

Environment

· Develop an National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

· Ensure uniform planning enforcement across all local authorities

· New planning and licensing scheme for quarries

· Ratification of the Aarhus Convention by March 2010

· Full implementation of the Habitats and Birds directives

· Registration system for off-road vehicles

· Protect Tara and other landscapes by designating them as Landscape Conservation Areas

· Introduction of new national monuments legislation to strengthen archaeological protection and give legal recognition to landscapes

· Continue with record levels of investment in water infrastructure

· We will place a cap on incineration capacity

· We will actively promote new sites for acceptance onto the UNESCO World Heritage list, including Tara

· We will adopt and implement a new waste policy following the completion of the current review.

Welfare

· Overhaul the taxation and welfare systems so they better meet the needs of citizens and eliminate anomalies

· In social welfare budgets the strongest emphasis will be placed on protecting basic payments

· We will publish a fuel poverty strategy by the end of this year

· We will reduce processing times for job seekers’ allowance

Political Reform

· We will establish an Independent Electoral Commission with enhanced powers of inspection.

· Within 12 months, the Electoral Commission will make recommendations for changes to the electoral system for Dáil elections, including the number of deputies

· We will end corporate donations to individual politicians and political parties.

· We will further reform the system of expenses for members of the Oireachtas to ensure the system is transparent, vouched and open to scrutiny.

· Introduce on a legislative basis a more open and transparent system for appointments to public bodies

· Thoroughly review the current systems for expenses, including a comprehensive vouched basis for all expenses

Public Service Reform

· Value for Money reviews on all large capital projects

· Full review of expenses system for the public service

· All senior positions in the public service to be open to people from the private sector

· We will reform how senior positions are filled by having an ‘outside’ chair on appointment boards

· Equal number of civil servants and private sector membership on senior appointment panels

· Seniority eliminated as a factor in promotion appointments

· ‘cooling off’ period for public servants in the acceptance of outside appointments or consultancies

Transport

· Ratio of expenditure in Transport will be 2:1 in favour of public transport (vs roads) in 2011

· We will work with the ESB and international motor companies to see a deployment of some 6,000 electric vehicles over the next three years.

· We will reform the bus licensing system

· Real time passenger information for 500 bus stops in Dublin and Cork by end 2010

· Planning and design to continue on Metro West and the Bray, Lucan and Cross-city Luas lines

· Integrated ticketing to be rolled out for testing early next year

· Rural transport programme to be extended to all counties

· The Eastern Bypass will not go ahead

· Vigorous implementation of the National cycling strategy

· We will develop Bray to Balbriggan cycling and pedestrian route

Banking reform

· The Government and Financial Regulator will develop new rules in relation to the governance of major financial institutions and a new code of conduct for treatment of non performing loans for small and medium business

· Should NAMA make a loss over time, a levy would be imposed to recoup the cost to taxpayers.

· Percentage of lending to be guaranteed to SMEs

· We will introduce new measures to protect families having difficulties with their home mortgage payments Reform debt enforcement in light of Law Reform Commission recommendations

· Regulate debt collection agencies

· Allow for a statutory non-court-based settlement system (above 3 for homeowner, families etc)

Health

· We will take further progressive, detailed steps towards building universal health services that provide high quality care, fair access and affordability for all. We will focus on:

o expanding cancer prevention measures such as the cervical vaccination programme

o support the development of the new National Paediatric Hospital

o Act on the Ryan Commission Report

· We affirm our commitment to improve income eligibility limits in the assessment for medical cards for children with intellectual disabilities.

· We will commence a bio-monitoring programme in 2010 to measure fluoride levels.

· In 2010 we will publish a plan for Mental Health Services

· Our priorities in the area of mental health will be to reduce admission rates to acute units; reduce waiting times for child & adolescent services; progress the transfer of the Central Mental Hospital to a new site.

· Limit co-location projects to those with existing contractual agreements

Equality

· We will ensure that the introduction of the Civil Partnership Bill to the Oireachtas before the end of 2009 and its early passage and implementation.

· We will introduce legal recognition of acquired gender of Transsexuals.

· Review legislation in the areas of guardianship, custody and accerss

Disability

· We will Publish a “NDS Recession Implementation Plan” central to which will be the availability of accessible public and social services.

· We will actively advance the implementation of the National Disability Strategy (NDS)

Children

· We will proceed, subject to appropriate Oireachtas approval, with proposals to hold a constitutional referendum to consider Children's Rights

Justice and Crime

· Ensure that every effort is made to pursue perpetrators of white collar crime, including financial irregularity, and institutional criminal malpractice, and to ensure that CAB has the appropriate professional and expert staff.

· Review of the efficiency of court operations

· Subject to Oireachtas Approval, we will establish a Court of Civil Appeal

· Implement Fines Bill to ensure that prison is only used as a last resort

· Implement in full the Justice for Victims initiative

· Examine further provisions of restorative justice

International Human Rights

· We will ensure that the highest international standards are applied to Ireland’s approach to human rights issues, working through the Cabinet Sub-Committee on International Human Rights.

Overseas Aid & Development

Clear targets showing how Ireland will meet its ODA commitments

Renditions

· We will review and change if necessary the legislation affecting civilian aircraft in the context of the existing and ongoing work of the Cabinet Sub Committee on Human Rights and will, as is appropriate, strengthen the powers of inspection of such aircraft and the collection of flight information

Agriculture & Forestry

· We will declare the Republic of Ireland a GM-free Zone, free from the cultivation of all GM plants.

· We will promote a diverse forestry culture with an emphasis on native trees and ensure that that a minimum of 30% broadleaf will be planted annually.

· Target of 5 per cent of land in organic agriculture

· Public procurement guidelines to give greater weight to local produce

· Support a network of Farmers Market

· Target of 17 per cent forestry cover by 2030

Housing

· A complete review of housing policy

· We will establish a new ‘community housing’ tenure

· Ensure rented accommodation is a viable and attractive tenure option

· We will end long-term homelessness by the end of 2010

Animal Welfare

· We will phase-out fur farming in three years,

· We will end stag hunting

Arts

· We will undertake a detailed assessment of the GPO complex with a view to locating the Abbey Theatre there in time for the centenary of 1916 Rising.

· We will ensure that the supports provided by the Film Board are maintained in order to realise the potential of Irish film-making.

Gaeilge & an Ghaeltacht

· We will publish the Strategic Plan for the Irish Language and the Gaeltacht by the end of 2009, setting out the measures to be implemented to support the Gaeltacht as a viable Irish-speaking community and the growth in the use of Irish and in bilingualism.

Tourism

· We will develop the potential for “Food Tourism”

· We will promote the development of cycling as a growth area for tourism and introduce an All-Ireland Walkways Development Plan