A BETTER

IRELAND
The Green Party’s plans to create a
fair and sustainable society.

vote.greenparty.ie

RENEWING
IRELAND
ON FEB 25TH
VOTE GREEN
A Better Ireland – Creating a fair and sustainable society

Introduction

For a time, a myth abounded that the Celtic Tiger years were good for all our citizens,
bringing prosperity to all sections of society, improving the lives of all our citizens. We
know that this was not true. In fact, during the boom years we became a more
unequal nation, with the gap between rich and poor widening.

The last few years have been difficult for all of Irish society. Adjusting to our
changing economic situation has challenged everyone in Irish society, particularly for
those who have lost their jobs and experienced the most dramatic changes to their
incomes and lifestyles.

The Green Party will work to ensure that our economic recovery and future prosperity
are built on solid and sustainable foundations. We will prioritise fairness and
sustainability at all times.

We have a vision of an Irish society where all our children are cherished and
protected regardless of their background or circumstances, where our older
population is truly valued for its contribution to society and can retire in comfort and
security, and where discrimination and exclusion are not tolerated. This is what we
mean by creating a fair, safe and sustainable society, and we believe we have the
vision and the experience to deliver it.

1. Reform of the Social Welfare System

2. Protecting Fairness

3. Better Communities

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1. Reform of the Social Welfare System
Protecting Incomes

Over the last number of years, most Irish people have seen a loss in living standards.
Falling wages and higher taxes have a put a strain on family finances. But it is those
who have lost their jobs and those already dependent on the welfare system who
have fared the worst. Unemployment has risen to over 288,0001 persons and the
unemployment rate now stands at 13.4%2.

Due to plunging tax revenue since 2008, it was necessary to make a number of cuts
to basic welfare rates. This was regrettable but the Green Party has consistently
sought to keep these cuts to a minimum. Throughout the financial crisis, pensioners
have maintained their benefit level as a result of their specific vulnerabilities, a policy
which the Green Party consistently supported.

The Green Party proposes that no more than €800m be cut from the social protection
budget over the next three years. Savings in this area should be achieved through
further anti-fraud measures and through the integration of the taxation and social
welfare system, which will not only save money, but will lead to a more fair and more
targeted welfare system.

While it is clear that we must continue to find savings in the social welfare budget, we
must also be careful to protect the continued existence of much needed programmes
and universal payments such as child benefit, ensuring that the system remains
robust.

With rising unemployment and decreasing tax revenues, social protection policy over
the past two years focused on retrenchment. It is now time to turn the focus from
welfare cuts to reform, ensuring that our welfare system is more accessible, flexible
and empowers people to improve their skills and return to work.

The Green Party pledges:

- No cuts to basic social welfare payments
- No cuts to the state pension

1
Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) September 2010
2
CSO, January 2011

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A Fair and Flexible System

The father of the modern welfare state in the UK, William Beveridge described his
vision of a system that offered security, but did not "stifle incentive, opportunity or
responsibility".

As part of the next government, the Green Party proposes to radically overhaul the
system to make it a more equitable and flexible. There are a number of simple steps
that can be taken within a relatively short time frame which would allow for a more
accessible and flexible system, provide support to those who need it and helping
those in a position to return to work to embark on this transition with minimum
complication.

The most important of these steps is the integration of our social welfare and taxation
systems. This would allow for better targeting of social welfare payments and
diminish the need for means testing.

A key part of this would be the introduction of refundable tax credits for people on
very low incomes.

Facilitating the Return to Work

As we navigate the path back to full employment, it is imperative that we support

those without employment to gain valuable work experience through volunteering
and other related activities and remove obstacles from the social welfare system for
those who wish to return to casual, part time or voluntary work

The Green Party will:

• Undertake a review of all social welfare payments with a view to standardising

payments and reducing differences that currently exist between means-tested
and non means-tested rates of entitlements. We will work towards abolishing
means-testing for primary payments such as carers allowance and
unemployment assistance.
• Introduce a tapered benefit withdrawal system for all.
• Adopt a model of social support which includes an earnings related
supplement based on previous earnings, to be applied until further
employment or retraining is available.
• Implement a system of accreditation for job seekers undertaking work
experience or volunteering activity.

Tackling Social Exclusion

Social exclusion is defined as being unable to participate in society because of a lack

of resources that are normally available to the general population. Social exclusion is
a problem for both individuals and communities, with related problems such as low
incomes, poor housing, high levels of crime and problems within families.

The Green Party proposes to:

• Reinstate greater resources for the Office for Social Inclusion.

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 • Ensure that public policies for social inclusion are integrated into the wider
policy framework.

• Commission further data collection on levels and risk of poverty and the
development of indicators to measure relative and consistent poverty trends.

Restoring dignity

Navigating the maze of social welfare payments and entitlements can be confusing
and daunting for many people, especially those who are newly unemployed. The
Green Party believes that this process should be made as accessible and dignified
as possible.

The Green Party will:

• Initiate a programme of reform in the delivery of services within the

Department of Social Protection so that the dignity and rights of customers
receiving the services are fully respected.
• Remove punitive anomalies such as the limited right to appeal refused
payment based on failure to satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition.
• Reform rent allowance to ensure that the benefit is paid as a cash amount
rather than through the landlord.

2. A Fairer Ireland
Equality and Human Rights

At the heart of any fair society there are strong institutions working tirelessly to
ensure the rights of citizens are protected and upheld. The recent erosion of our
equality and human rights infrastructure has been of great concern to the Green
Party. There are a number of key state bodies that we believe are vital to ensure that
equality and human rights standards are maintained and further enhanced,
particularly the Equality Authority and the Irish Human Rights Commission. We will
work to ensure that these bodies evolve to can rise to meet existing and new
challenges, given the changes taking place in the economy and Irish society.

The Green Party will:

• Explore expanding the nine grounds of discrimination to include socio-

economic status.
• Protect the Equality Authority and the Irish Human Rights Commission from
further funding cuts, and explore the possibility of reinstating 2008 levels of
funding to these organisations.
• Ensure that working systems are in place for the implementation of poverty
impact assessments on all Government policy and legislation in the same
way that environmental impact assessments are currently carried out on all
planning and development projects.
• Amend equality legislation to include a duty on public sector organisations to
have due regard to equality and human rights in carrying out their functions
and to implement positive action measures to achieve full equality in practice
in employment and service provision.

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 • Provide for the Equality Authority and the Irish Human Rights Commission to
be accountable to an Oireachtas Committee on Equality and Human Rights,
in order to strengthen their independence.

People with Disabilities

In government, the Green Party prioritised the interests of people with disabilities and
made a commitment to actively advance the implementation of the National Disability
Strategy (NDS). We remain fully committed to the continued roll-out of the National
Disability Strategy.

The Green Party will:

• Ensure the value for money process is complete; ensure that the outcome
provides for a greater level of direct service provision to disabled people from
savings in administration.
• Develop mechanisms for personal budgets and introduce direct payments.
Disabled people must be enabled to have the maximum choice and control
over their own service.
• Ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.
• Review the disability act 2005 and engage with disabled people, amending it
to give more meaningful legal protection of their rights.
• Review employment support schemes for disabled people ensuring that the
funding directly adds value and support to disabled people’s opportunities to
engage in employment training programmes and the open employment
market.
• Ensure the full implementation of national standards and inspection of
residential centres and community homes for children and adults with
disabilities.
• Give official recognition to Irish Sign Language.

Older Persons

The Green party recognises that older persons make a significant contribution to
society: as citizens, as workers (paid and unpaid), as family members and as
members of the wider community.

The Green Party will:

• Publish the Positive Ageing Strategy and provide a timetable for the
implementation of its agreed recommendations.
• Continue to provide fuel allowance to those who are most at risk of fuel
poverty.
• Continue to support the Rural Transport Programme.
• Commission research to investigate how deprivation on particular items is
linked to variations in income among older people.
• Seek reciprocity with other EU countries for free or low-cost public
transportation.

Children

The Green Party has long espoused the importance of investing in our children and
young people. We believe that Ireland should be one of the best countries in the

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world in which to be a child or young person.

Child Protection
The truly shocking revelations contained in the Ryan Report, coupled with the tragic
stories of young people in care who have passed away and reported cases of abuse
and neglect within families, serve as a stark warning that we have failed to protect
the most basic rights of many of our countries young people. The Green Party
believes that a constitutional change to provide for the best interests of the child to be
of paramount consideration.

The Green Party will:

• Hold without delay a Referendum on the Rights of the Child, placing the best
interests of the child at the heart of our Constitution.
• Implement in full and without exception the recommendations of the Ryan
Report.
• Support a change to the Child Care Act to place a statutory obligation on the
State to provide aftercare for all children leaving state care.
• Develop a comprehensive national aftercare policy based on the belief that
failure to invest in aftercare is a false economy as the cost to the state in later
the future in terms of providing homelessness and mental health services.
• Develop a national sexual health strategy.
• Introduce without delay the National Vetting Bureau Bill.

Eradicating Child Poverty

It was estimated that 63,000 Irish children were living in ‘consistent’ poverty in 2008.
This number is sure to have increased in the wake of the economic downturn.
Children continue to be the age-group most at risk of poverty, with a rate of 18% in
2008. This compares with an at risk poverty rate of 13.5% among people of working
age. The damaging effects of such disadvantage on a child’s health, chances of
completing education and future opportunities are obvious.

The Green Party will:

• Replace Child Dependent Additions and Family Income Supplement with a

targeted second tier payment, paid where children are living in low- income
households.
• Prioritise supports for children in single-parent families; nearly half of children
in non-working single-parent families live in consistent poverty.

Protecting the Health and Wellbeing of our Children

Obesity and its associated health complications is one of the biggest threats to our
younger population today. Ireland currently has one of the highest childhood obesity
levels in the world, with one in ten children in Ireland aged 5-12 years are obese and
it is a leading risk factor of the development of heart disease and cancer in later life.
The Green Party has long been concerned that advertising so-called ‘junk' foods to
children has a long-term detrimental effect on their health. In government we took
action to curb the advertising of junk food to children which has gone a long way
towards helping to prevent the pressure on parents to buy foods that are high in fat,
salt and sugar.

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Consumption of alcohol and access to illegal drugs remain significant threats to the
physical and mental wellbeing of our children and young people.

The Green Party will:

• Plan for the implementation of standardised labelling on food products with

• Further legislate to curtail alcohol advertising, sponsorship, sales promotion
and marketing, and placed health warnings on advertisements and products
• Ringfence a proportion of revenue received from alcohol sales and direct
these funds into linked policy areas, both in the area of drugs and alcohol.
• Target drug prevention programmes specifically at “at risk” groups.

Childcare
Despite the economic downturn, childcare costs remain a considerable burden for
many working mothers and fathers. The Green Party believes that access to high
quality, affordable childcare places remains a priority. We oversaw the introduction of
the Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme which currently provides a free
year of early childhood care and education for children of pre school age. We want to
extend the age limits of this scheme so that it is even more inclusive.

The Green Party will:

• We will introduce tax incentives for extended family members who are taking
care of their grandchildren.
• Maintain the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme and
extend the current age limits to include all pre school children.

Youth Development
The Green Party places great emphasis on the contribution our young people make
to our society. We recognise the vital role played by a range of organisations in
encouraging young people to fulfil their potential and in giving them a voice in
shaping their future.

The Green Party will:

• Support the work of youth organisations in fostering young people’s social

development through their provision of educational and social opportunities
for young people in non-formal settings.
• Explore the feasibility of allowing for unused buildings to be made available to
Youth Sector organisations for provision of services and amenities to young
people.
• Reduce the voting age to 16.
• Broaden the parameters of the Office for Ombudsman for Children in regard
to legislative matters.

Youth Diversion
Early intervention remains the most effective measure breaking the cycle of crime.
Gardaí have made great strides in community policing and diversion of young people
away from crime through the use of Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme, the Garda

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Youth Diversion Projects and other community based initiatives. We want to ensure
that this positive, community based approach continues to yield results.

The Green Party will:

• Ensure the continuation and expansion of the Garda Juvenile Diversion

Programme.
• Ensure the continuation of the over 100 Garda Youth Diversion Projects
across the country.
• Review the implementation of the Children’s Act.
• Promote the use of resource conferencing which brings together the child,
parent(s), Gardaí, educational and social services

Supporting all Families

The Green Party has always espoused the view that all persons, irrespective of their
marital status, or sexual orientation, should have a right to family life. The Green
Party has committed itself to working towards an Ireland where all forms of family -
lone parents, cohabiting couples or those in same-sex relationships – can enjoy a
secure and happy life.

The Green Party will:

• Support the recent decision the European Parliament to provide for two
weeks paid Paternity Leave.
• In the event of the Supreme Court ruling against Zappone & Gilligan, we will
seek to have the constitution amended to permit civil same-sex marriage.
• Seek to further reform family law in Ireland to protect the welfare of children in
a variety of families, including providing for the extension of legal
guardianship to de facto parents.
• Legislate to give fathers automatic guardianship from the birth of the child.
• Legislate to ensure the fathers must be registered on a child’s birth certificate.
• Improve the transparency of family court proceedings through relaxation of In
Camera rule.

Integration

In Government the Green Party was responsible for the introduction of a number of
initiatives including the first ever Ministerial Council on Integration, the Intercultural
Fora, Intercultural Education Strategy and the Diversity Arts Strategy.

The Green Party will:

• Ensure the continuation of the initiatives as outlined above.

• Protect funding for English Language classes.
• Develop a learning programme and examination on Irish culture and history
for those applying for citizenship.
• Further training for Gardaí, HSE and other key public sector organisations in
cultural sensitivity.
• Review the third-level education tuition fee structures to ensure people with
an established immigration history are not excluded by prohibitive costs.
• Encourage political participation through voting.

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 • Tackle racism and xenophobia be made a national priority through education
and awareness-raising initiatives and monitoring of racist incidents nationally.

Travellers

The Green Party will:

• Recognise Travellers as a minority ethnic group.

• Establish action plans on a statutory basis to tackle Traveller accommodation
and
• Ensure that Travellers have greater access to counselling and to Mental
Health services to help tackle the extremely high rate of suicide amongst
young men in the community;
• Carry out an audit of local authorities in relation to the delivery and
implementation of Traveller Accommodation Programmes.

Homelessness

The Green Party will:

• Continue to prioritise funding for homelessness programmes.

• Work to realise the goal of ending long term homelessness and the need to
sleep rough.
• Ensure the full and timely implementation of the The Way Home: A Strategy
to Address Adult Homelessness in Ireland.
• Seek to provide a dedicated funding stream for long term housing support to
be administered by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local
Government.
• Seek to reduce the length of time a person must be on Rent Supplement
before becoming eligible for the Rental Accommodation Scheme from 18 to
six months.
• Provide for a reliable annual count of all people in homeless services using
the ‘Counted In’ method.
• Prioritise a review of the Youth Homelessness Strategy, published in 2001.

3. Better Communities
The Green Party believes that everyone in Ireland can live in a safe and diverse
community, with easy access to transport, schools and other quality amenities. We
have a bold vision for better planned, closer and greener communities.

Health Care in the Community

We believe that quality healthcare can and should be delivered in the community.

Most of the health care that we need can and should be provided in our own homes
or in the area where we live so that there is less need to travel to hospital for routine
care or for emergencies. Some good work has been done in developing multi-
disciplinary primary care teams that can provide a wide range of care. This type of
development needs to be expanded and pushed forward across all parts of Ireland
as quickly as possible.

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Education in the Community

Every community should have access local, quality primary and second level
education. More flexibility in our education system is needed, as well as a rethinking
in areas such as teacher training, curriculum and how schools integrate within the
community. Our schools must be open to all members of the community, and access
should not be exclusive to particular groups.

• Develop energy efficient, multi-use school buildings as ‘community campuses’

providing a range of services that can adapt flexibly as a community
develops.
• Develop and introduce a ‘healthy schools’ meals policy, building on existing
pilot projects, and implement it gradually across the country.
• Improve investment in Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
utilising modern broadband services and cloud computing technology to
deliver greater access to all students in a more cost effective manner.

Active Communities

The Green Party recognises the invaluable work done by a range of groups and
organisations in communities across the country. A strong community depends on
the active participation of as many members of that community as possible and
active participation, in turn, depends on the resources available to them.

There are thousands of voluntary and non voluntary groups and organisations
operating in urban and rural areas across Ireland and the Green Party acknowledges
the contribution made by all of these bodies. We will work to support and enhance
the role played by these organisations at local and national levels, particularly given
the additional challenges they face in providing services and opportunities to those
who are negatively affected by changing economic conditions.

The Green Party will:

• Support the evolution of greater collegiality and cooperation within the

community and voluntary sector, while respecting its diversity and
independence.
• Ensure that the valuable contribution of the sector as an advocate in policy
formulation is further developed, particularly in the evolution of social
partnership processes and structures.
• Examine how the funding base of community and voluntary sector
organisations can best be progressed, given the pressures on the public
finances and pressing social need.
• Work in partnership with the sector in creating a more coherent and
systematic approach to the relationship between the state and the community
and voluntary sector, building on existing legislation and experiences,
including developing agreed protocols regarding funding, advocacy and the
provision of public services.
• Work to protect the funding allocation for the network of 107 Family Resource
Centres across the country.
• Examine the possibility of restoring youth work funding to 2009 levels.
• Actively explore further measures to deepen Ireland’s tradition of charitable
donations, including the introduction of appropriate fiscal measures.

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 • Ensure that supports for volunteering are better coordinated at national and
local levels.
• Examine how unused sites might be freed up for use as allotments and
community projects through the use of an alternative legal agreement that
recognises the temporary nature of the arrangement.
• Work with Local Authorities to facilitate the availability of land for community
gardens and allotments.
• Initiate a nationwide audit of sporting facilities and make better use of data
mapping to match facilities with community need.

Transport in the Community - Promoting Home-Zones

People are more important than cars. While road humps have been used in recent
years to slow down traffic, it is now time to move on to the use of more sophisticated
integrated traffic calming measures rather than provided as an add-on measure.

We will initiate an audit of local authorities’ performance in implementing ‘Safe

Routes to School’ schemes. Local authorities that have not yet implemented such
schemes will be given a timeframe within which to do so.

Countries such as Germany and the Netherlands lead the way in the use of home-
zones that calm traffic and create living streets. Home Zones work through the
physical alteration of streets and roads in an area. These alterations force motorists
to drive with greater care and at lower speeds. They provide for a range of measures
including:

• 30kph speed limits

• Zebra crossings
• Integrated traffic calming
• Use of residential streets for children’s outdoor play

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