BUDGET NEWS MICHAEL CONAGHAN TD Working with Cllr Sheila Howes
Winter 2013
This is the Budget that will take us out of the bailout. It will underpin recovery and help to create more jobs. And this Budget does everything possible for hard pressed families – pointing the way to a better future. When this Government came into office, 31 months ago, our Country was faced with the worst economic crisis in its history. Our economic sovereignty had been surrendered, and without the bailout loans, there was five months money left to pay for all public services, and no-means to borrow any more. Today, that situation has been transformed. Financial Stability has been restored. The State can again borrow at affordable rates, and we are in a strong position to exit the programme at the end of the year. This budget copper-fastens the stability that has been so hard won. There have been some difficult choices. After five years of cuts, there are no easy options left. But we have now come through the worst economic crisis in the history of this State. The people of Ireland have endured much, but we are now, at last, on the threshold of recovery. If you have any questions on any of the measures introduced in the Budget, or on any other issues, please do not hesitate to contact me.
PROTECTING EDUCATION CLASS SIZES PROTECTED – 1,400 NEW TEACHERS IN 2014 Education has always been a core priority for the Labour Party, and this budget demonstrates our commitment to protecting frontline education services. This is the third budget from this government, and for the third year in a row, there have been no increases in class sizes. The standard pupil-teacher ratio in both primary and post-primary schools has been protected. The €1.3 billion provided each year to support children with special needs has also been protected for 2014. We will be recruiting an additional 1,400 teachers to our schools next year – two-thirds as mainstream teachers, and one-third as resource teachers to support children with special needs. This brings the total number of new teachers recruited in our schools to 2,800 between this year and next year.
REDUCING THE COST OF GOING TO SCHOOL ■ BOOK RENTAL SCHEME - €5 million will be provided for each of the next 3 years to invest in book rental schemes in every primary school in Ireland. These schemes can save parents as much as 80% of the cost of school books, bringing the average cost down from €100 per child to €20 per child. ■ SCHOOL UNIFORMS – Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn is working on a policy that will require all schools to give parents control over the cost of uniforms.
www.labour.ie/michaelconaghan
INVESTING IN SCHOOLS ■ SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAMME – Since taking office, the Government’s School Building programme has seen 2,700 new classrooms built, for over 66,000 children, at a cost of €600m. The 2014 building programme will continue this momentum, with a further €400m to be spent upgrading our schools. ■ BROADBAND – All second level schools will have access to high-speed broadband, at no cost to them, by September 2014. ■ LITERACY & NUMERACY – A further €9m will be invested in literacy and numeracy programmes to ensure no child leaves school without high levels of literacy and numeracy.
Budget 2014