Tánaiste Joan Burton pledges to increase child benefit next year

A series of pre-election pledges including increased child benefit next year have been made by Tánaiste Joan Burton.

In her keynote speech to the Labour Party national conference, she also attacked the Opposition parties and Independents saying they were not capable of offering an alternative government.

Ms Burton also accused some political opponents of hijacking peaceful protests.

“In a free society that’s bullying. The Labour Party has a long history of standing up to bullies,” she said.

Ms Burton said the Coalition was building the economic recovery and with it new jobs and opportunities for people.

“The true measure of our success will be delivering a social recovery alongside the economic one. Meaning every person, every family and every community benefits from renewed prosperity,” she said.

She said that every taxpayer had more money in their pay packet because of the tax reductions in the last Budget.

“Pensioners, people with disabilities, people living alone – they’ve all received a Christmas bonus. This is the Labour Party living up to our standards – this is Labour in action.

“The Labour Party is in Government to ensure economic strength goes hand in hand with social justice.”

Pointing out that the first thing Labour did in Government was to increase the minimum wage, she promised that it would be increased if that was recommended by the newly established Low Pay Commission.

She said that Fianna Fáil had introduced the Universal Social Charge and its effects on low-income families were savage.

“Labour in Government has freed 410,000 low-income workers from USC. In the Budget, that will go to half a million. Half a million low-income workers freed from USC – completely,” she said.

“And we will continue to reform it for middle-income workers. To make sure that the teacher or the tiler earning €35,000 a year continues to see their Universal Social Charge come down.”

The Tánaiste also pledged that having already increased child benefit the Government will do so again in the next Budget.

“By the end of this year, we’ll set out the steps that will enable us to introduce two weeks’ paid paternity leave. So that new mums and dads can both afford to spend precious time with their new baby mums and dads will also be able to bring their young children to the doctor for free. “

She said that more would have to be done in the area of childcare.

“I want to ensure that before they start primary school, every child has a right to two years of free pre-school. This will be a key plank of our election platform.”

She said that some people suggested that Labour should have stayed out of Government in the party’s own interests.

"Those people do not understand this party – and they never will. We put Ireland first – and we always will," she said.

“In highly unstable economic times, politicians have one critical role – to provide political stability. We have provided that stability and the country is recovering.”

With the approach of a general election in 2016, she contrasted the Government’s record of recovery with what she termed the chaos on the Opposition benches.

"Fianna Fáil won't enter government with Sinn Féin or Fine Gael. Sinn Féin won't enter government with either of them. The Independents can't govern themselves. And the hard-left are opposed to governing.

“It’s a coalition of chaos – and the country simply cannot afford it,” she said.

The Tánaiste said that by contrast, this Government ended the chaos of the economic crisis.

“We converted fear into hope. And an economy built on quicksand into one built on solid and sustainable foundations. It hasn’t been easy,” she said.

“Labour and Fine Gael see individual issues in different ways. Sometimes very, very different ways. What we share is a desire to secure the recovery and spread its benefits. And we work together – the Taoiseach and I – in partnership – to achieve it.”