FF manifesto promises more gardai, doctors

Fianna Fáil today promised major rises in medical staff and gardaí and a new agency to deliver capital programmes if they are returned to power.

Announcing his party’s manifesto, Mr Ahern said 2,000 extra gardaí would be added to the force to bring it to an all-time high of 14,000.

On health, The Taoiseach promised to implement in full the €13 billion National Health Strategy and said provision has been made in the party’s detailed spending plans - due to be published tomorrow. He repeated the pledge in that plan to provide 3,000 new public beds and increase healthcare staff by 12,000 to 99,000 people.

Responding to questions, Mr Ahern promised to "end waiting lists" but gave no clear time scale in which this will be achieved. He said reform would be required and that the funding required to do "an enormous job on the waiting lists" was in place.

"We do need better Accident and Emergency [services] better beds and more people dedicated to it" he said. He said funding for an expansion of 24-hour GP cover would be provided.

A new agency, the National Development Finance Agency, will be set up to assess capital projects and then compete with the private sector for design and build contracts. The agency would raise funding for such activities through bonds - which Mr Ahern said was not the same as borrowing.

p> Mr Ahern also pledged extra teachers and reduction of class sizes for the youngest pupils to 20 or less. He also promised every school building would meet modern standards.

Mr Ahern he remained committed to full implementation of the Belfast Agreement and said the of rights of nationalists had been vindicated within a framework that upholds the rights of unionists.

But there will be no rush to legislate for the X Case, Mr Ahern said. He said he had not changed his view and following the rejection of the recent referendum the new government would have to look at the best way to deal with it.

A national stadium remains a priority, although Mr Ahern said if the sporting bodies approached him and said a smaller-scale facility would serve their purposes, he would agree with that.