Government deal commits to extra €6.75bn for public services

The Programme for Partnership includes a commitment to spending an additional €6.75 billion on public services over the next five years.

The agreement, reached by Fine Gael and a number of Independents, makes a series of promises in the areas of health, housing, crime and political reform.

The key commitments include a new commission to examine public sector pay, a new court to be established to examine cases of mortgage arrears and reductions in waiting lists.

There is a series of pledges in the area of housing including a promise to end the use of hotels and bed and breakfasts for homeless families and a promise to explore tax incentives for landlords who enter into long-term leases.

A new “help to buy” scheme will also be created to assist first time-buyers and to take “all necessary action to high variable interest rates”.

The Universal Social Charge (USC) will be reduced while the old age pension, the minimum wage and the living alone allowance will all be increased.

The document states the new partnership government is ready to embrace the opportunity presented to it by the electorate.

“Our ambition is to combine all our different talents to build a strong economy and to deliver a fair society, so that communities thrive throughout both urban and rural Ireland.

“We are committed to tackling the most pressing challenges Ireland faces, in areas such as housing and health while continuing to focus on increasing employment across the country.”

The programme also promises to:

– Appoint a new minister for housing;

– Request that the Oireachtas committee on housing examine the merits of reducing the VAT from 13.5 per cent to 9 per cent on new affordable houses and apartments;

– Ask the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) to review their business plan to be more ambitious in its delivery of housing and will use the body's expected surplus to invest in infrastructure including housing;

– Retain mortgage interest relief beyond the current date of December 2017 on a “tapered basis”;

– Conduct a “root and branch” review of the planning system and the nationwide building standards;

– Not sell more than 25 per cent of any bank before the end of 2018;

– Request that the Central Bank conduct an independent assessment of the arrears and negative equity loan books of the banks;

– Create 200,000 jobs by 2020 including 135,000 outside Dublin;

– Reduce Capital Gains Tax for new start-ups to 10 per cent;

– Increase tax credits from €550 to €1,650 for the self-employed by 2018 and introduce a PRSI scheme for the self-employed;

– Increase funding for homecare packages and home help every year;

– Introduce new legislation in the areas of surrogacy and human reproduction;

– New laws relating to family consent and an opt-out register for organ donations will be brought in by the end of 2017;

– Reduce waiting times for emergency departments to a maximum of six hours;

– Increase GP training places up by 100 over the next five years;

– A full implementation of a Vision for Change;

– Develop targeted supports to reduce childcare costs;

- Make a €500 million investment in education including the reinstatement of guidance counsellors in secondary schools;

– Not to close any rural schools without the consent of the parents;

– Increase the number of non and multi-denominational schools to 400 nationwide by 2030;

– Introduce new legislation governing school admission by the start of the 2017 school year;

– Increase the numbers in An Garda Síochána to 15,000;

– Reopen six Garda stations on a pilot scheme;

– Fast-track legislation allowing for tagging of sex offenders and laws to allow for strict bail terms for repeat offenders;

– Request an Oireachtas committee to examine the introduction of mandatory sentencing for robbery, with violence, in the home;

– Invest €3.6 billion to allow a number of major public transport projects to go ahead

Issues raised by Independents

The Programme for Partnership also addresses a number of the issues raised by the Independent TDs.

Independent Alliance TD Shane Ross has secured agreement to reform the appointments of judges and to semi-State bodies.

Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath also secured agreement to introduce new legislation to regulate the sale and purchase of scrap metal. Mr McGrath had introduced his own Bill in the last Dáil.

There is a series of amendments in the area of agriculture as requested by members of the rural alliance and the Independent Alliance.

The cap on basic payments for farmers will be reduced from €150,000 to €100,000 and a review of the response to the recent flooding crisis has been promised.

Wind farm planning guidelines will be updated within three to six months to offer a “better balance between the concerns of local communities and the need to invest in indigenous energy projects”.

The new government will also begin to prepare for a dedicated cystic fibrosis unit at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital – a key demand of Dublin Bay North Independent Finian McGrath.

The draft programme also contains a commitment to a second cardiac catheterisation facility at University Hospital Waterford subject to a favourable clinical assessment. This was a request made by Waterford TD John Halligan.

In the area of political reform there is a commitment to consider directly elected mayors in cities, establishing town councils and reducing the size of electoral areas.

There is a commitment to establish a citizen’s convention to make recommendations on the eight amendment, fixed term parliaments and the manner in which referendums are held.

A number of referendums are committed to including on the role of women in the home and blasphemy.

There will also be a new independent electoral commission to examine political funding and election expenditure.