LABOUR MANIFESTO 1997  Vision and Challenges  1.) Ireland approaches the 21^st^ Century in a spirit of high expectation. Values and vision are crucial. Never before have there been so many grounds for optimism. Never before have we had so much to build on.  2.) Building hope and confidence for the future we face requires a mix – a mix of values, of vision, and of practical policies. This document seeks to express that balance.  3.) Our key priorities for the start of the 21^st^ Century are these:  - Permanent peace throughoutIreland based on a just political settlement, inclusively negotiated and rooted in consent;  - An intensification of the fight against poverty and long-term unemployment;  - The effective tackling of present day crime – recognising that its root causes of social alienation and social exclusion musts be faced with the same single-mindedness.  4.) Side by side with these over-riding objectives, building hope and confidence depends too on the right approach to:  - economic management,  - public spending and taxation,  - Ireland’s role in Europe and the world,  - education policy,  - public service reform,  - enhancing our environment,  - our heritage and our artistic development as a people.  These, and many other topics, are dealt with in this document.  5.) We also have unfinished business and further reforms arising from the government "Programme for Renewal" to carry through to completion.  6.) Labour has been at the heart of the changes which are making this a better, more tolerant and more prosperous Ireland.  7.) For the past four years, Labour has been in the forefront of growth, development and change in Irish society and Irish politics.  8.) A great deal of that change has been fundamental, and it has led to higher standards of living and a much better quality of life. For the hard pressed PAYE taxpayer. For rural communities. For those struggling to make ends meet.  9.) For women in employment and working in the home. For families with children in or entering third level education. For those starting and developing small businesses. For people locked into broken marriages. For the returned emigrants who have found jobs at home. For thousands of people on long hospital waiting lists. For people coping with, and seeking to overcome, handicap or disability.  10.) Never have so many real jobs been created in the economy in such a short period. Never has so much social legislation and social reform been achieved. Never has the self-confidence and energy of our young people been more in evidence.  11.) Never has Ireland’s position and role in Europe and the world been more strongly articulated and asserted.  12.) But major challenges still remain to be faced – in our society, in our cities, in our local communities, towns and villages.  13.) Then, there have been setback. The paramilitary cease-fires of autumn 1994 were openly broken by the IRA at Canary Wharf in February 1996. Seventeen months of hope and joy at the stopping of killings where shattered, at least temporarily.  14.) Labour, with all parties in the Daíl and many of the parties in the North who worked in the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, had to pick up the pieces, and continue the struggle for peace against a more difficult and tense background.  15.) Northern Ireland, and the achievement of peace, remains our greatest priority. Labour has played a significant role in the last four years in the progress towards an inclusive settlement based on consent.  16.) We have participated in the negotiations on the Downing Street Declaration and the Joint Framework Documents, and we are totally committed to the principles they contain. Labour has also played a significant part in the negotiations that led to the commencement of all-Party talks in Northern Ireland, and in the ground rules that underpin them. We commit ourselves to giving those talks renewed urgency and momentum.  17.) Inclusion and consent will remain the hallmarks of our policy. We have stressed, again and again, the right of every section of the community in Northern Ireland to be represented at the negotiating table. We have asserted, and will continue to, that the only barrier to that, in our view, is adherence to an armed and violent approach.  18.) We call in this document for the urgent restoration of peace, on an unequivocal basis, and for a total commitment to the Mitchell principles.  19.) There are some 200,000 more people at work in Ireland now compared with four years ago. At the same time, the lack of a job and the risk and fear of never finding a job is a grim reality for many thousands of adult men and women and young people.  20.) Much has been attempted – and a lot achieved – in terms of mitigating the crisis of long-term unemployment; community employment, improved training schemes, more opportunities for adult education, placement and counselling services and social welfare improvements.  21.) Local communities, state agencies, and the social partners, are working more effectively together in partnership than ever before.  22.) Nevertheless, it is as untrue today as it always was the "rising tide lifts all boats". It is evident that society as currently constructed fails to ensure that opportunities apply equally to all individuals and groups, including those who ware long-term unemployed.  23.) There is no doubt that violent criminal acts, often directed against women and the elderly, and major social problems associated with drug abuse are features of today’s Ireland. In this respect, we, as a society face an immense challenge.  24.) In this manifesto, Labour offers wide-ranging measures to grapple with the reality of violent crime and drug trafficking with its associated trail of criminality. At the same time, there is a clear need to intensify programmes to contain and rehabilitate those trapped in drug dependency. Our approach is based on the knowledge that no simple slogans or instant solutions will end this scourge.  25.) We will be tough and single-minded in supporting the reforms in the criminal justice system necessary to deal with serious crime. At the same time, our aim is to reduce and ultimately eliminate social deprivation and injustice. Too often, these are primary factors in causing criminal behaviour to begin and to grow.  26.) Our vision for the future embraces both a set of values and a range of policy measures that are appropriate to these values. Key elements of that vision and those values are:  - Freedom with security  - Greater equality  - Social cohesiveness and solidarity  - A wider sharing of prosperity and property  27.) As we approach the millennium and the start of the new century, we also believe that vision should be set in a specific time frame. Forward planning and strategic thinking are important elements in our approach to politics.  28.) By the year 2010, which is now less than 15 years away, Ireland should achieve the following:  - full employment for those seeking work;  - the best managed and best preserved environment in the European Union  - the most effective public administration in the European Union  - perception outside Europe as the best place in which to invest and do business within the EU  - the average per capita income of the EU member states.  29.) The Irish Constitution guarantees a range of personal freedoms. Our political democracy provides many benefits and prevents many abuses. Despite that, however, in the economic and social area those personal freedoms have not been substantiated or made real for all citizens.  30.) Is has been rightly said that "income earning property is a bulwark of liberty only for those who have it". Many in our country have little or no property and no sense of belonging to a local or national community. Many cannot assert their legal rights through shortage of money. Others find it difficult or impossible to access either the job market or suitable training or educational programmes. The freedom of others, and particularly women, can be restricted through fear of the unknown assailant, fear of the drug peddler, fear for their children’s safety in the streets, and for some, fear of violence in the home.  31.) For us, the widening of personal freedom linked with social responsibility is a key core value. This can be advanced through:  - constitutional recognition of social and economic rights,  - changes in laws,  - sharing more widely our growing prosperity,  - combined action at neighbour-hood and community level,  - education targeted at breaking the cycle of disadvantage, and through  - political choices – such as the choice now being offered to the people at this election.  32.) While we believe in, and advocate, the substantiation of personal freedoms, Labour is opposed to individualism as a social philosophy. Thatcherites and their Irish clones follow an alien creed.  33.) A fair society demands duties whether legally enforceable or not, while at the same time upholding rights. Support for the family, for carers, for the elderly, is an important priority.  34.) That’s why we believe that making individual and family freedoms a reality is closely associated with the issue of equality. Too often, they are the preserve of a minority. That’s why all our policies are geared around the concept of greater equality.  35.) Our aim is to ensure that each individual is free to attain his or her capacity. Our commitment is to emancipation, so that men and women can contribute both to their own development and to the broader purposes of social living in the local, national and world community.  36.) The ideas of social cohesiveness and solidarity are fundamental for Labour. In that context, we recognise that practical objectives have to be achieved in the context of the market economy. The goal of increased employment, and an attack on poverty and its causes, must be achieved against a background of free trade, of rapid technological change and communication advances.  37.) The global dimension is intruding ever more strongly into national and local economies. The "Information Society" is upon us. These are the realities. They are challenges to be met with enthusiasm – the task is to channel the benefits of growth and change so that they benefit our entire community, and not just some.  38.) In accepting the market system, with private enterprise and private property we recognise that we also have to seek to humanise it where necessary, but without undermining its capacity to perform.  39.) This can be done mainly by:  - appropriate regulation  - spreading the ownership of productive property  - fostering collective ownership in the market sector, with efficient and accountable structures  - enlarging the legal and social responsibilities of business itself  - preserving chosen areas from market forces.  40.) Especially where people who are long-term unemployed are concerned, the market system needs modification. The human dimension of this is critical – the market system is an instrument capable of providing efficiency, not an ethical imperative. In the real world, people start out with widely divergent degrees of power and wealth. Equity and social solidarity are the real imperatives.  41.) We welcome this election. We welcome the opportunity to put ideas forward, and to seek a mandate for them. The policies in this Manifesto are ours – they are the basis on which we want to go forward.  42.) We will, of course, be campaigning in this election as part of an out-going Government. It is a Government that has achieved much. It is built on trust among partners, and on mutual respect. When the election is over, it is our hope that we will have a mandate to sit down and negotiate an agreed programme for the next five years. The principles upon which those negotiations will take place have been published separately by the Government Parties as a whole.  43.) In that sense, this Manifesto is the set of proposals, that we will bring to those negotiations. We want to negotiate from strength. We intend to fight the strongest election possible, and to do so on the basis of policies not personalities. That is the only way to make the voice of the voiceless heard as loud as possible.  44.) We will present our achievements, our values and our policies on as many doorsteps as possible in the next few weeks. We want to listen. We face a period of exciting change, and many challenges. We are setting out our stall – the building blocks to construct an ever more confident, just, inclusive and tolerant Ireland.  45.) And we do it with confidence. The track record of the last four years, the hope for the future. Visions and challenges, combined with practical policies. A slate of candidates that is second to none. Deep roots in the community, and a total commitment to its future. That’s Labour’s promise.  Managing a Growing Economy  Building on Success  1.) Ireland has made enormous economic advances over the past four years. Against a background of success, our economic objective is simple: the creation of sustainable wealth, and its fair distribution.  2.) Labour’s main priority is to build further on the record number of new jobs created in recent years. We will intensify with specific policies the fight against persistent and long-term unemployment in co-operation with local communities and the social partners.  3.) Our object is to ensure that the factors that have contributed to our economic success continue. These have been and will continue to be:  - Prudent management of the public finances  - A partnership approach to evolving economic and social policy  - The prioritisation of enterprise and innovation as key elements in the creation of economic wealth  - A continual priority for investment in education and skills development, and  - Constructive participation in shaping our future as part of the European Union.  Future Challenges  4.) The Maastricht criteria relating to issues such as debt levels and borrowing, to inflation targets, to management of the exchange rate have been important constraints on policy. In Ireland’s case in recent years, observing them has been beneficial to our economic performance.  5.) For the future, two main challenges are:  - our preparation for the inception of Economic and Monetary Union, and  - the circumstances that will arise in the negotiation of Structural Funds for early in the next century due to our greatly increased levels of wealth as a nation  6.) This will require a shared discipline in Ireland in the future. Wealth creation and distribution will have to be sustainable.  7.) In the context of EMU, the Stability and Growth Pact in course of finalisation at EU level will be a particular challenge to fiscal management.  Labour’s Approach  8.) We believe the benefits of economic growth must be fairly shared. They provide an opportunity to tackle deep-seated problems, poverty, and social deprivation. We can raise standards of service, care and dignity for those without a voice – people with disabilities, children at risk, the homeless, people who are frail or elderly, and their carers.  9.) A strong and thriving economy can and must support quality health and education services. Both of these are a crucial part of everyone’s standard of living.  10.)Public expenditure in Ireland is relatively low by EU standards. Standards of public services still lag behind those of many of our EU partners. We therefore propose to strike a fair balance between improvements in public services, an assault on deprivation, and increases in personal disposable incomes through planned reductions in the tax take.  11.) We reject the ideology which would cut public services and curtail any future development in order to channel all the benefits of growth into tax reductions skewed to the higher paid.  12.) In short, our approach is to seek a fair balance between public spending and the tax take, and to continue to reduce our national debt as a proportion of Gross National Product.  13.) That is not to say that the £ 16 billion spent each year is all well targeted, that there is no inefficiency or waste at all, that there is not some misdirection for public expenditure programmes. We will actively encourage the emerging process of public service reform.  14.) The continuation of economic growth at a high level of about 5% on average (it is higher than this at present) provides a framework for arriving at an appropriate balance between expenditure on services, investment in infrastructure, the tax take, and keeping borrowing under control.  15.) Therefore, Labour will plan for:  - Growth in real current expenditure on average below the growth of the economy over the next five years.  - Continuing to reduce personal taxes, as a proportion of GNP.  - Ensuring as at present continuous current budget surpluses.  - Using the current budget surpluses for essential capital investment – in infrastructure, in supports for the different economic sectors, and in necessary social investment – thereby helping to limit borrowing for necessary capital investment to levels sustainable in the context of EMU.  - A maximum General Government Deficit each year, of no more than 1.5% (save in the exceptional circumstances envisaged by the Stability and Growth Pact), and will endeavour to keep Government finances as close to balance as possible.  16.) It follows that the explicit and implicit spending commitments in this manifesto will be prioritised and phased in by reference to these targets.    Partnership at the level of the firm  17.) Our success in managing change will be the key to Ireland’s future economic prosperity, as the only certainty of economic change – new products and services, new production technologies, changes in markets and pricing.  18.) Successful management of change will not happen through confrontation and diktat, but where management engages the workforce as equal partners. Such partnership is a core part of new business methods like World Class Manufacturing and Total Quality Management, and is the hallmark of progressive companies.  19.) Today’s workforce rightly demand a say in decisions which affect their livelihood. Labour will implement in full the commitments in Partnership 2000 on partnership at the level of the firm.  20.) We will seek to develop a system where companies prepare a partnership programme in consultation with their workforce, tailored to the circumstances and scale of the particular business, analogous to the Safety Statement required under law.  21.) State aids to enterprise, whether given through the tax system or directly, will be actively used to promote the agenda for partnership at the level of the firm.  22.) We will examine mechanisms to ensure recognition of trade unions where the Labour Court has established that the union represents a significant proportion of the workforce in question.    Minimum Wage  23.) Ensuring fair wages, and the elimination of exploitation, are crucial issues in an inclusive economy. They are issues that should be addressed in the spirit of Partnership 2000.  24.) About one in five workers is currently covered by minimum wage legislation under the Joint Labour Committees and Registered Employment Agreements. These minimum pay rates are legally binding and are enforced by the Department of Enterprise and Employment who every year recover hundreds of thousands of pounds on behalf of underpaid workers.  25.) Freely negotiated pay rates between trade unions and employers will normally be well above the rates set under minimum wage rules. There are however sectors of the economy where workers are liable to very low pay, in particular those working for smaller employers and in non-union employments.  26.) The problem of low pay extends well beyond the sectors currently covered by minimum wage rules. There is evidence to suggest that market wage rates are failing to respond to short-ages of labour in certain sectors where extremely low pay rates are still being offered.  27.) In the short term, we will extend the sectors and jobs to which minimum wage rules apply, and will increase resources to the labour inspectorate to ensure that workers actually receive the wages they are due.  28.) We will set up a Review Group composed of the social partners and independent experts:  - to examine and quantify the extent of low pay in the economy in 1997  - to identify the sectors and job types where low pay is prevalent, and evaluate the reasons.  - to recommend a national hourly norm, taking on board developments in the United Kingdom and other competitive issues.  29.) The norm will initially be a guideline for JLCs, the coverage of which will be extended as necessary. In the absence of the guideline being followed, the national norm will be applied by law after further consultation with the social partners.  30.) We will also increase resources towards enhancing the training of unskilled workers as increasing earning power is usually the key to long-term increases in earnings.    Fairer Taxes  31.) On taxation, Labour will honour the commitments in Partnership 2000, which has now commenced, and which total £ 100m in corporate taxes. Economic growth will allow this level of reduction to continue.  32.) Our objective will be to increase the after tax income of every worker well above inflation, with particular emphasis on those on or below the average industrial wage.  33.) There is a great deal of hype about "headline" tax rates. No single person or married couple taken together pay 48% of all their income – their effective rate is far lower when account is taken of personal allowances, the widened standard rate band, and in many cases discretionary allowances.  34.) What matters most in the end is the actual amount left in the pay packet – and that is determined by the total amount of tax taken by the Exchequer. The best measurement of any balanced tax reduction package is the degree to which it reduces the "tax take" in overall terms.  35.) Our approach will be to focus relief on those with low and middle incomes, mainly through changes in personal allowances and tax bands. We will also examine the appropriateness of changes in rates or levies.  LABOUR’S OBJECTIVE IN RELATION TO THE TAX TAKE IS:  - TO ENSURE THAT A SINGLE PERSON ON THE AVERAGE INDUSTRIAL WAGE WOULD KEEP 78% AND A MARRIEDPERSON 86% OF THEIR PAY PACKETS.  - THEREFORE, THE AVERAGE TAX PAID (INCLUDING INCOME TAX, PRSI AND LEVIES) BY A SINGLE PERSON ON THE AVERAGE INDUSTRIAL WAGE AS IT INCREASED OVER THE YEARS WILL DROP TO 22% OF INCOME, AND FOR A MARRIED PERSON TO 14% OF INCOME.  THIS IS BEFORE COUNTING ANY DISCRETIONARY ALLOWANCES SUCH AS RELIEF FOR MORTGAGES AND HEALTH INSURANCE WHICH LABOUR WILL MAINTAIN AT THE STANDARD RATE, AND WHICH REDUCE THE TAX DUE FROM MANY TAXPAYERS.  36.) In the context of Partnership 2000, a change to tax credits and standard rating of personal allowances as a way of equalising tax relief and allowances to taxpayers on different marginal rates will be examined in conjunction with the Social Partners. If such a system were introduced, the money saved would be used to fund other personal tax reductions.  37.) Personal allowances will be increased faster than exemption limits for tax to ease the transition for those on low incomes entering the tax net.  38.) The PRSI exemption limit of £80 per week will be increased.  39.) The age allowance for those over 65 will at least be doubled within the life-time of the next Government.  40.) In line with announcements already made, the proportion of total tax revenue, taken in capital taxes, will be maintained at the average of 1996 and 1997 level. There will be no further significant reliefs in the capital acquisitions tax code, apart from existing reliefs.  41.) Over the next five years the standard rate of company taxation will be reduced, with the object of moving towards a fully harmonised rate after 2010. At the same time, the effectiveness of all special tax breaks for business in creating employment – capital allowances, business employment schemes, urban renewal, and many others will be carefully evaluated.  42.) Labour’s objective is keep the tax take from corporations at least at the same proportion of total tax revenue as the average of 1996 and 1997.  43.) There will be no more tax amnesties. The revenue authorities will be expected to intensify efforts to counter tax evasion and fraud, and to use existing legal powers to the full in pursuing defaulters.    Commercial State – Sponsored Bodies  44.) We support a significant role for the commercial state-sponsored bodies in the years ahead. Many of these have been to the forefront of economic and social development in Ireland over the years: in technological advances and in developing opportunities for communities in rural Ireland.  45.) At present, and increasingly in the future, state companies will be subject to competition at home and abroad: this involves transforming themselves into modern efficient enterprises. Many of these enterprises with the co-operation of the trade unions and employees are now managing the essential changes effectively.  46.) The forces of competition now facing or about to face state companies and utilities requires a new system of regulation which will:  - provide rules of fair competition  - establish reasonable levels of universal service  - set appropriate tariff levels  - provide transparency of accounts.  To this end we will establish an independent Multi-Sectoral Utility Regulatory Commission which, inter-alia, will take over the functions of the new Director of Telecommunications Regulation and the regulatory functions of the Minister for Health in the health insurance market.  47.) Labour will retain majority state ownership in these enterprises. Opportunities for expansion to utilise the accumulated bank of skills will be encouraged. Suitable joint ventures, as in the case of Telecom Eireann, and probably in other companies, can be an integral part of the process of ensuring survival, growth and development.  48.) It is crucial that flagship companies in key strategic areas are maintained under national control through majority ownership by the state.  49.) Labour will support in appropriate cases, through tax concessions and in other ways, schemes for employee shareholding participation, and in particular measures designed to facilitate minority shareholdings held by a collective entity on behalf of employees.  50.) In these ways, a genuine partnership and "stakeholding" can be evolved in these companies to the long-term benefit of the company, the Ex-chequer, and the workforce.  51.) Ideological opposition and privatisation agendas will not be allowed to stymie such developments.    Financial Services  52.) Significant sectors of the financial services industry have become more competitive in response to global trends and the consolidation of the single market. In the context of EMU and globalisation generally, we believe that the banking sector is a key strategic area. That is why the state should maintain a significant presence in this sector.  53.) We propose a major review of key aspects of the financial system. This review would be carried out by an expert group which would report to the government within one year.  54.) The terms of reference would be:  - To evaluate the effectiveness of the range of financial services offered to start-up businesses, and to small and medium sized enterprises, and make recommendations as necessary.  - To examine the availability and effectiveness of delivery of banking and money transmission services throughout the whole community.  - To assess the needs for banking and money transmission services in disadvantaged areas and  - To develop a strategy which will ensure the maximum degree of public and community access to the money transmission system.  - To examine the reasons why retail, plastic card based banking and electronic money transmission services currently provided by banks and other financial institutions are not utilised, more widely.    Growth from the sectors  55.) Labour is the party of work and the party of enterprise. Without enterprise in the public or private sector, there is no wealth and no basis for social progress. Labour is committed to a strong market economy based on competition. In Government, we will continue to promote measures which:  - stimulate expansion by encouraging investment in people, technology and market development  - secure an economic environment that is characterised by a competitive dynamic and whose utilities meet the best international standards for price and quality  - enable Irish enterprise to thrive, compete and prosper in the Single European Market and in a global economy  - give effect to the recommendations of the Company Law Review Group, by establishing new standards of corporate governance and which will totally overhaul archaic laws dealing with Copyright and Design, Trade Marks and Intellectual Property.  56.) Current successful sectoral policies, many of which are supported by EU Structural Funds, will be continued – in industry, services, tourism, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, forestry and our marine resources. As developed later in this document, practices across all the economic sectors will need review and adjustment in the context of sustainable development into the future.  Industry  57.) The general thrust of tax, incentive, and training policies is to make industry, especially indigenous industry, more competitive. The availability of equity capital for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) at critical stages of their development will be addressed.  58.) At present, a high proportion of the assets of Pension Funds are invested abroad. Pension funds are averse to investing in unquoted Irish companies in a growth phase. Labour will develop a suitable mechanism where-by pension funds are encouraged to invest in Irish industry.  59.) Options being examined by Labour include:  - The pension funds committing initially £40m over time to taking equity in forms that would be re-commended by Forbairt.  - Forbairt identifying the well developed companies where they hold equity or preference shares, and establishing a separate "Forbairt Fund" to be jointly owned by Forbairt and the pension funds.  60.) Irish companies invest in skills development and research at only half the level of the OECD average – we cannot sustain success in the knowledge-based economy on this basis.  61.) Future strategy in providing grants and tax incentives to companies will emphasise as a priority incentives for investment in both research and training. Higher education and research institutes will be resourced and encouraged to provide a much higher level of direct support in research, analysis, and skills development in industry.  Agriculture and Rural Development  62.) Farming and related industries are the bedrock of many rural communities. Direct employment in agriculture, food and forestry is about 174,000 or over 13% of the workforce, and these sectors account for over a third of net foreign earnings from trade. Under the Industrial Development Operational Programme, close to £300m is being provided from national and EU funds over the period 1994 – 1999.  63.) Labour’s aim is to develop these sectors in a way that will maximise their contribution to employment and to the economy with due regard to protecting the environment. Any changes in EU policy must only be carried through in a manner which protects the legitimate interests of Ireland’s farming and rural communities and the food industry.  64.) At EU level, the objective will be that any reduction in agricultural prices will be compensated through direct income supports for farm families. In the medium-term, the liberalisation of markets and world trade negotiations will accentuate the need for a dynamic and efficient agriculture capable of withstanding competition from within and without the EU. In this context, Labour will seek to ensure that any changes in supports and protection will be gradual, phased and compensated.  65.) The development of forestry and related industries is an important priority. Labour supports the strategic plan for the Development of the Forestry Sector in Ireland published in 1996, with the doubling of our planned forest area over the next 40 years, and increased job opportunities.  66.) There is a growing public concern about the deleterious effects of intensive farming dependent on excessive use of fertilizers, pesticides/herbicides and other chemicals. Labour favours the promotion of organic farming which moves away from the use of chemicals as aids to production and depends on the harnessing of nature’s resources to provide food for the general public. Standards will be set in relation to what can be described as organic, health or home made foods.  67.) A certification procedure will be established to ensure that foods described as having been produced organically will meet certain standards. A licensing system will be introduced to ensure that these standards are met. Where there is evidence that standards are not adhered to there will be a mandatory withdrawal of the licence.  Fisheries & Marine  68.) Labour recognises the economic and employment potential of Ireland’s marine resources and marine industries. Policy will focus on the importance of:  - sea fisheries  - aquaculture  - inland fisheries and related industries.  69.) We will vigorously pursue the case for a significant increase in Ireland’s allocation of fish stocks within the context of the Common Fisheries Policy, having regard to the principle of sustainable development. We will ensure that action is taken at European level to deal with the threat posed to our domestic fleet by ships sailing under flags of convenience.  Tourism  70.) Ireland has a rate of tourism growth almost five times the European average. The contribution of tourism to the economy is remarkable:  - 4.7 million visitors in 1996 (up 11%);  - total earnings of £1.5 billion;  - 109,000 jobs;  - a half-billion pound contribution to the Balance of Payments.  71.) In 1997, visitor numbers will exceed 5 million and employment will reach 115,000. Investment in tourism, with EU support, will total £650 million.  72.) Tourism has the capacity to become Ireland’s premier economic sector. This will require strategic planning and adequate financial and marketing support. Strong and sustained development will require a framework within which investment, marketing, recruitment and training can be facilitated and encouraged.  73.) Labour will put in place the long-term strategy needed to build on the recent achievements. This strategy will be set out in a White Paper within the next year, following extensive consultation with all relevant industry interests. The tourism strategy will be implemented over a five year period and will set clear targets for growth, employment, investment and standards.  74.) The strategy will involve:  - Action to retain adequate ERDF funding after 1999, by emphasising regional development, strategic marketing and employment / training requirements.  - Maintenance of high levels of productive investment in the Irish tourism product through a partner-ship between Exchequer, private sector and EU funding.  - Sustained overseas marketing effort by Bord Fáilte in the Overseas Tourism Marketing Initiative partnership and in the framework of Tourism Brand Ireland.  - Particular emphasis on the regional development role of tourism as a focus for investment and a source of jobs, with targeted incentives and promotional support.  - Tackling the seasonality factor by seeking a more even spread of business an job creation, particularly by building on the Domestic Tourism Marketing Initiative.  - Planned expansion of the work force with emphasis on the quality of work, good pay and conditions and support for efforts to offset negative factors affecting recruitment.  - Provision of training and retaining to ensure the highest levels of service and professionalism, with policies of participation, information and consultation.  - Emphasis on the role of management and planning in the provision of a tourism product which will succeed in a highly competitive world and European setting.  - Attention to the implications for tourism growth of the tax system; maintenance of the lower VAT rates for key items; targeted tax incentives for investment.  - Recognition that tourism must be developed in an environmentally sensitive manner: agri-tourism and urban renewal programmes will be given priority.  - Special emphasis on the development of key tourism products; leisure and recreational facilities; cultural activities and specialist provisions (angling etc.).  - Planned expansion on the access infrastructure with priority for the regional dimension and cross border links; provision of a national Conference Centre.  - Co-ordination of the public bodies in the sector; Bord Fáilte; SFADCo; Regional Tourism Organisations; Local Authorities; support for community tourism initiatives.  - Strenghtening the Tourism Council as the representative body of the industry as a whole and as the forum for agreed strategies for all sectors of the industry.  - Rationalisation of government level responsibilities in relation to tourism.  75.) Tourism holds out the prospect of real and sustainable growth in a sector which could become the flagship of Irish economic development, based as it is on so much that is best in our country.  76.) It has emerged from its earlier image as a poor, seasonal substitute for more highly rated economic activities. It now represents a high quality, professional sector in which a great deal of investment in both product and personnel is paying off in terms of income and jobs.    Conclusion  77.) Labour has outlined above its long-term and focused strategy for the future. The potential benefits in terms of economic growth and job opportunities cannot be overestimated.  78.) There is an exceptional opportunity to set new standards across the spectrum of services and human resources. We are committed to implement the strategy as a clear priority.  Cohesion through Partnership  Introduction  1.) The policies and commitment needed to tackle our employment problem re-quire consensus, a shared vision and a long-term approach. Our over-riding aim is an economy where more people are highly skilled an in well paid jobs. At the same time we have to intensify the fight against poverty, against persistent unemployment and deprivation.  2.) In ensuring economic growth at a high level, we must also achieve more equality in distributing the fruits of growth. Our aim is to build a cohesive and confident society. That means an inclusive partnership, economy built on high skills, high wages, social inclusiveness and economic participation.  3.) Labour pioneered the concept of the National Economic & Social Forum. It has been, and continues to be, a vital mechanism for developing and highlighting policy concerns which could otherwise rank low in priority.  4.) This was most evident in the development of "Partnership 2000". Groups representing the unemployed, elderly people, women and several other community and national organisations joined on an equal basis, for the first time, in a critical dialogue with the traditional social partners.  5.) As a result, there was a widening of the agenda, in the weight given to issues vital to the "third strand groups", and in the quality of the outcome. In addition, many of the reports produced by the NESF have proved to be vital contributions to national policy. We consider that it is critically important to ensure that the NESF continues to play its increasingly central role in any future Government.  6.) We value the contribution of Non-Governmental Organisations, community groups, voluntary youth services and other local initiatives in the pursuit of economic and social goals. Such positive activities will be given appropriate recognition and support.    Tackling Social Exclusion  7.) It is also vital that the next Government endorses, and sets about implementing, the objectives of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy launched in April 1997. The specific targets it sets across a number of key policy areas are essential to any philosophy of social inclusion.  8.) Income support and social welfare provisions must be consistent with the target set for poverty reduction. There must be a coherent strategy for tackling urban disadvantage, and specific strategies for the provision of services in rural areas, especially those concerned with educational disadvantage, unemployment and income adequacy.  9.) We intend to ensure the honouring in full of the commitment in Partnership 2000 of expenditure of £525m on a full year cost basis on social inclusion measures during the period of the new Partnership. This will protect the real value of social welfare payments and provide significant improvements in enhancing inclusion.  10.) Honouring those commitments will involve, for example:  - Continual increases in child benefit, which have been nearly doubled for many families during the period Labour has been in Government  - A continuing focus on the Family Income Supplement (FIS) as a means of increasing the net return from work to families with children, including calculating FIS on a net income basis  - Active labour market measures, with better pathways within education and training and targeting sectors of the unemployed, particularly the long-term unemployed.  - An increase of 10,000 on Community Employment Programmes and related options; we will prioritise resources towards this aim in the period ahead.  - A number of specific measures aimed at meeting the needs of people with disabilities, especially in areas where there are service gaps at present.    Social Guarantee  11). An abundant economy must be able to accommodate a society where choices are made, and rights are exercised, on the basis of hope and dignity, and not on the basis of dependence or charity.  12.) One way of achieving this goal is a social guarantee. The Social Guarantee recognises that there are certain groups in society who are, because of an inability to exercise the full range of rights, in a dependent state. The Social Guarantee aims to end that condition.  13.) In the short to medium term, we propose to apply the Social Guarantee to three groups of people: Young people between the age of 18 and 21; People with a Disability; and Older people.  Young people  14.) Young people of 18 can vote and can get married and start a family. In fact they are obliged to be responsible members of society. We believe they should be preparing to contribute their full talents to the community.  15.) Receiving a state welfare payment – which depends on not being available for employment – is not an appropriate preparation.  16.) In this manifesto, among other things, Labour is proposing an education strategy, an economic investment strategy, and a crime prevention strategy.  17.) But most of all, what we are proposing is an investment to combat social exclusion. We are guaranteeing a start to adult life with hope and valid expectations. Such a guarantee is an offer that treats young people as responsible adults.  OUR AIM IS TO ENSURE THAT 100% OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE COMPLETE SECOND LEVEL EDUCATION. WHEN THEY DO, THE OPTIONS OPEN TO THEM SHOULD INCLUDE:  - GOING ON TO THIRD LEVEL,  - TAKING UP TRAINING, TRAINEESHIPS, OR APPRENTICESHIPS,  - GETTING CONVENTIONAL PAID EMPLOYMENT,  - TAKING UP SELF-EMPLOYMENT.  - DOING COMBINED TRAINING/WORK OR  - WORKING IN THEIR COMMUNITY FOR PAY  18.) Our objective is to guarantee that every young person aged 18 to 21 will have a worthwhile offer of education, training, conventional employment or community employment.  19.) As the process develops and places become available, this offer will involve gradually raising the age limit for Unemployment Assistance and Supplementary Welfare Allowances to 21. It will not change entitlement to Unemployment Benefit which only becomes payable after a period of employment. It will not affect entitlement to disability related payments.  20.) We have reached the stage where 84% of our young people complete second level education. We want to have 100% reach that stage. Achieving this will not be easy. The evidence shows that those who drop out have, in general, low achievement and high absentee levels in primary school followed by low achievement in secondary.  21.) The problem has to be addressed at primary level initially. We propose, initially, very specific targeting of pre-schools and primary schools in the most disadvantaged areas and follow up for those young people when they go to secondary school.  22.) For those who leave school before age 18; the new Education Boards would provide a welfare and counselling service. This would involve tracing of drop-outs, provision of alternative education/training, and mentoring during second level. Schools will be given responsibility for notifying the welfare service as soon as a student has stopped attending, to ensure there is no time lag in following up those who drop out of school, and offering them a pathway back into learning.  23.) Between 18 and 21 the social guarantee would operate to ensure continuing education or training or employment.  24.) For those young people who do not go onto third level education or get conventional employment, i.e. those who currently apply for Unemployment Assistance, we would specifically provide that:  - The Higher Education maintenance grants would be extended to students attending PLCs  - A specific training programme for those who have left school early would be established in the community, involving community groups, partnerships and parents. This programme would initially try to compensate for the shortcomings of each individual’s education before moving on to specific training. Training allowances would be paid along the lines of the higher education maintenance grants scheme.  - Job placement arrangements would be made with the co-operation of industry and the services sector through specific youth placement officers in the Local Employment Service at the going rate for young trainees in the job.  - Community employment arrangements would be made with partnerships and local voluntary groups to provide full time employment at the going rate for the job.  25.) The social guarantee to young people would be phased in, with a target of being fully in place in 3 years. Initially it would apply to 18 year olds and the age limit for Unemployment Assistance could be raised to 19.  26.) The social guarantee would cover young people with disabilities who would be guaranteed offers of education/training/work opportunities appropriate to each individual as per the recommendations of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities.  27.) Income maintenance schemes such as Unemployment Assistance should be temporary arrangements for coping between jobs or for supplementing income from voluntary part-time work and precarious self-employment. They should not constitute the first independent income of any person.  28.) Starting adult life on Unemployment Assistance is not the future we envisage for our young people. An abundant economy provides the opportunity to start our life in hope and purposefulness, not in dependence.  29.) The quality of offers to young people and the quality service to them by government departments and state agencies in counselling follow-up and encouragement will be of vital importance. Labour’s aim is to ensure the guarantee will be phased in with sensitivity and careful planning.  People with a Disability  30.) We are committed to the full implementation over time of the Report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities. We established the Commission, and Mervyn Taylor has already begun work in ensuring an appropriate and agreed set of priorities. We will be consulting with the Irish Council of People with Disabilities throughout this process.  31.) We are also committed to implementing the Report "Towards an Independent Future", and in particular we will develop the concept of Independent Living, with its emphasis on an independent living fund.  32.) The ultimate objective of these reports – an objective which Labour fully shares – is the provision of a high-quality and fully accessible range of services from the moment of onset of a disability.  33.) Such services must be available on the basis of need, and must facilitate the maximum degree of independence and personal autonomy. They must be shaped and geared to the specific needs and talents of people with disabilities. They must be available as right, and not dependent on charity. In short, they must be the subject of a Social Guarantee.  A SOCIAL GUARANTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES WOULD END THIS AND OTHER ANOMALIES. IT WOULD SEEK TO ENSURE THAT, FROM THE MOMENT OF BIRTH, DIAGNOSIS, OR ONSET OF THE DISABILITY, THE FOLLOWING SERVICES WOULD BE GUARANTEED:  - DIAGNOSIS AND ASSESSMENT;  - COUNSELLING (INCLUDING COUNSELLING FOR CARERS WHERE NECESSARY);  - A FULL RANGE OF MEDICAL SERVICES AS REQUIRED;  - EDUCATION AND TRAINING BASED ON THE RIGHT OF THE INDIVIDUAL TO ASPIRE TO HIS OR HER FULL POTENTIAL, AND TO LIVE AND WORK IN MAINSTREAM SOCIETY;  - OPEN, SUPPORTED OR SHELTERED EMPLOYMENT AS APPROPRIATE, IN A DECENT ENVIRONMENT AND WITHIN REASONABLE ACCESS FROM HOME;  - RESIDENTIAL CARE WHEN NEEDED, AND THE GUARANTEE OF A HOME LIFE IN PROPER AND SUPPORTIVE SURROUNDINGS;  - RESPITE CARE WHEN REQUIRED;  - ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC TRANSPORT.  34.) Hundreds of millions are already invested in the provision of services for people with disabilities. In too many cases these funds are not well enough directed, and too often reflect the needs of agencies rather than the needs of people with disabilities. For example, many people with disabilities are deemed ineligible for training – not because they will not benefit from the training, but because their inclusion might jeopardise the attraction of matching funds from European funds.  35.) The development of one-stop shops, as envisaged in the concept of the Disability Support Service proposed by the Commission, will go some way towards meeting the information gaps that are often a barrier to the supply of services.  36.) But the Social Guarantee will also require some restructuring of services, much greater co-operation between agencies, and a strong political commitment. Implementing the Social Guarantee means starting from the perspective of the rights and needs of the person, and adapting the services to meet those needs.  Older People  37.) For the vast majority of people, the attainment of retirement age is welcome. For some, however, retirement coincides with illness or infirmity, stress, loneliness, or poverty. A Social Guarantee for people who are elderly would mean recognising that a significant contribution has been made throughout a person’s working life, and that there is a right to dignity, comfort and support in old age.  38.) The Social Guarantee for Older people who are elderly will mean the development of some new services over time, and the radical upgrading of others, especially those aimed at providing help in the home.  SPECIFICALLY, A SOCIAL GUARANTEE WOULD AIM TO ENSURE:  - COUNSELLING AND RETIREMENT PREPARATION SERVICES ARE READILY AVAILABLE;  - ACCOMMODATION NEEDS ARE FULLY MET;  - NO ELDERLY PERSON WOULD BE FORCED TO LIVE IN ISOLATION FROM THE COMMUNITY;  - NO ELDERLY PERSON WOULD LIVE IN FEAR, OR BE FORCED TO HIDE MODEST ASSETS THROUGH FEAR OF EXCESSIVE CLAW-BACK BY THE STATE;  - ILLNESS WOULD NOT LEAD TO THE ELIMINATION OF LIFE-SAVINGS;  - RECOVERY FROM ILLNESS WOULD BE SUPPORTED, AT HOME WHEN POSSIBLE OR THROUGH DECENT RECUPERATION FACILITIES.  39.) We are proposing that a Minister of State would be appointed to the Departments of Equality and Law Reform, Health and Social Welfare in the next Government, with specific responsibility for further developing the Social Guarantee for Older People.  Gender Equality  40.) Our society’s culture and economy still retain a strong association of women with private life and economic dependency, and men with public affairs and economic activity. Power is still disproportionately conferred on those with direct access to money, as compared with those who are dependent on others. That is why strategies are necessary to end still existing discrimination against women.  41.) We will continue the work of implementing the Report of the Commission on the Status of Women – 80% of which has been implemented or put in train by Labour in Government.  42.) Later in this document, we will be dealing with the out-dated Constitutional provisions which imply a restricted position for women in the home. Constitutional change must be supplemented by practical and concrete measures.  43.) We propose to give practical expression to change, by the following measures, among others:  - In addition to the planned increase in Child Benefit rates already referred to, we propose the introduction of a double monthly payment at times when need will generally increase – August and December – to cater for children going back to school, and for Christmas.  - We will significantly expand child care facilities in the community. Already, a pilot scheme of 8ß child care projects is in operation, with financial support form the Department of Equality and Law Reform. Our aim will be to expand this scheme to a nation-wide service.  - We will introduce Parental Leave legislation, and encourage its uptake by fathers.  - Encouragement of family-friendly work patterns for both parents, and the implementation throughout the public sector of the flexible job-sharing proposals developed by Eithne Fitzgerald.  - In consultation with education partners, we will examine school hours, the provision of safe study facilities, and the timing of holidays and half-term breaks, with a view to making them more supportive of working parents.  44.) In addition, we intend to pursue the following objectives:  - A gender equality policy in all areas of the education system.  - In addition to existing rights under the Succession Act, a surviving spouse will also have an automatic full right to the family home and contents.  - Examination of the feasibility of making the enforcement of maintenance orders the duty of the sate, not the petitioner – with the introduction of an automatic enforcement programme extending to the self-employed to ensure payment of orders.  - The implementation of the Report of the Task Force on Violence Against Women.  - The re-enforcement of the gender balance policy for state boards and agencies, which has already doubled the representation of women on such boards.  Law Reforms  45.) The Department of Equality and Law Reform will be charged with a continuing programme of law reform and consolidation. Measures will include:  - Consolidation and reform of legislation on registration of births, marriages, and deaths.  - A continual programme of family law reform.  - Establishment of family courts based on the Law Reform Commission Report.  - Placing the Family Mediation Service on a statutory basis.  - Legislation to provide for wider recognition of foreign divorces.  - Continued commitment to ensuring and enforcing effective anti-discrimination and equality laws in the work place and the wider society. We aim to remove all discrimination on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, race, religion, age, disability or membership of the travelling community. To this end, we will ensure that the Employment Equality Bill is re-enacted, with whatever minimal changes are necessary, while preserving its essential character.  Travellers  46.) It is estimated that slightly over 1,000 Traveller households live on the roadside and another 257 families on temporary sites. Many sites are without basic services which most of us take for granted.  47.) Infant and adult mortality rates are over twice those of the settled community. The general health status of Travellers is much lower.  48.) Participation in education is also far lower, particularly at second and third level. Participation in the mainstream labour force is minimal and there is a high level of unemployment among Travellers.  49.) In response to the Report of the Task Force on the Travelling community, appointed by Mervyn Taylor, the Government approved a comprehensive package of actions and services to be put in place.  50.) This work is ongoing and Labour is committed to the dedication of additional resources for the progressive implementation of this plan.  51.) Responsibilities are borne by central Government – Environment, Health, Education and Equality & Law Reform as well as local authorities, with the participation and involvement of Travellers’ representatives and voluntary agencies.  52.) The five-year strategy for Traveller accommodation is a national programme for the provision of 3,100 units of accommodation. The planned housing mix will include the following: 900 houses; permanent halting sites (1,200 serviced bays), and a network of 1,000 serviced transient halting sites.  - A national consultative group, including representatives of Traveller interests and of local authorities, will be established on a statutory basis to monitor the preparation, adequacy and implementation of local accommodation plans.  - Each local authority will be required by law, following consultation with local traveller accommodation committees, to draw up and adopt such a plan within specified deadlines, as part of the national programme.  - In the event of default in adoption of local plans, the Minister for the Environment will be empowered to formally make the plan and secure its implementation as an executive function of the local council.  - As an integral part of this strategy, local authorities will be given wide powers to deal with illegal, indiscriminate and unauthorised parking by Travellers and others.  53.) Labour supports an integrated package of action: without the provision of adequate dedicated accommodation, improvements in educational and health services will be more difficult to undertake.  54.) Following on anti-discrimination legislation, Travellers will be enabled to participate more fully in economic development both through the growth of the Traveller economy and by greater participation in the mainstream labour force, so that the natural self-reliance of this community will be encouraged to develop. These measures lay the groundwork for improved relations between Travellers and the settled community.  Basic income  55.) Supported by researches and publications by CORI, a debate is in train on the merits of a basic income system. A basic income is an income that is unconditionally granted to all on an individual basis. It would be paid to individuals rather than to households, irrespective of income from any other sources, and without requiring the performance of any work or the willingness to accept a job if offered one.  56.) A basic income system whether introduced all at once, in stages by different groups, or on a phased implementation basis would be profoundly radical. It would involve in practice the entire restructuring of the existing personal tax and welfare systems.  57.) Labour welcomes the emerging debate on basic income. There are strong arguments in favour: including the object of a more equal income distribution and equity, simplicity, and the removal of poverty traps. Serious issues arise with the single high income tax rate that is part of the proposals, the nature of the impact on the labour market, and the necessity for more public involvement in assessing the case for and against the fundamental changes involved.  58.) We are proposing that a Green Paper be published on this subject within one year. It should be accompanied by further public debate, and with full inputs from both the proponents and critics of the proposal for a basic income.  Housing  59.) Labour’s objective is to ensure that everyone is provided with decent accommodation at a reasonable cost.  60.) We are concerned that the high price of new housing in certain areas is making it more difficult for young couples on moderate incomes to get a home of their own. The population bulge among those in their late teens and early twenties, and the welcome end to heavy emigration, all add to the pressure on demand and prices.  61.) We will encourage a sustainable expansion in the supply of housing to meet this demand, in a way which does not place undue pressure on the environment of our major cities, or erode amenity areas.  62.) We will examine the potential for selective and modest increases in housing density along public transport routes and in city centres. We will give further impetus to the "Living over the Shop" initiative.  63.) We will ensure:  - Adequate funding for local authority housing and for social housing.  - The development of estate management policies to ensure more effective arrangements and more local participation in the management of the local authority housing stock, especially in disadvantaged areas.  - Continuation of an active refurbishment programme for older local authority houses.  64.) A large number of Local Authority houses are without central heating. We intend to ask all Local Authorities to draw up a five-year energy plan providing for improved insulation and ventilation and for the provision of full central heating.  65.) Various funding methods will be considered, including an offset against the price for tenant purchase, when tenants have financed the central heating themselves.  Health  66.) We endorse the Health Strategy published in 1994, as a basis for the planning and development of our health services. Equity and quality in service provision and efficient use of resources are crucial aims for us. Labour is committed to:  - Continuing to develop child care and family support services, including the establishment of an Ombudsman for Children and a Social Services Inspectorate.  - Tackling hospital waiting lists by ensuring that levels of investment in this initiative continue to be a priority, and by setting out maximum waiting times for different treatments.  - Implementing the recommendations made by the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities embracing a wide-range of economic health and social support services for people with physical disabilities.  - Ensuring that victims of Hepatitis Care provided with a comprehensive health care package and support services, and that claims for compensation are processed with speed and sensitivity.  - Maintaining public confidence in the blood supply through implementing the recommendations of the Finlay Report and any other necessary measures.  - Prioritisation in funding for services relating to mental handicap, to eliminate within five years the unmet needs identified by the National Intellectual Disability Database.  - Providing additional treatment facilities for those suffering from drugs misuse with increased involvement of GPs and better rehabilitation and support services.  - Extending GMS services as rapidly as possible to younger children.  - Investment in and developing the concept of "health gain" and necessary monitoring of its effectiveness.  67.) Labour will give priority to developing services for the elderly, to developing access to specialist cancer services throughout the regions, and to sponsoring measures that will encourage people to take responsibility for their own health.    Drugs  68.) Later in this Manifesto, we deal with the urgency of tackling drug related crime.  69.) We support the key recommendations of the Second Report of the Ministerial Task Force on Measures to Reduce the Demand for Drugs. We need strong policies aimed at both supply reduction and demand reduction. Included in the demand reduction policies will be proper and effective treatment facilities.  70.) We have sponsored increased anti-drugs education, through Substance Abuse Awareness and Prevention Programmes and an anti-Heroin Programme, and the provision for parental education.  71.) In addition, we support:  - A comprehensive family information and support network; the work of the Community Drugs Teams is critical in this respect.  - A continuing government-sponsored media campaign to dispel the perception that drugs can be safely used recreationally, which is as uncompromising and as explicit as is necessary.  - Fostering the role of estate management as a community based response to the drugs crisis, and a reversal of vigilante type activity.  - More support for training in community leadership; the training and employment of youth leaders from disadvantaged communities under Community Employment and social economy measures.  - A 24-hour strongly advertised help line to disseminate information about drugs and available services.  72.) The overall aim should be to help addicts return to a drug-free lifestyle – the most effective drug treatment service will be one which offers a broad range of options to addicts according to their needs. Addicts should be offered a choice of service - be that methadone or therapy – upon entering into treatment. While ongoing methadone maintenance should continue where necessary, it is important not to over-rely on that form of treatment.  73.) We support:  - The development of community-based clinics, including mobile units, as an important part of the State’s response to drug abuse.  - An increase in detoxification beds with better follow-up services.  - Direct financial support for the voluntary sector.  - Increased research on the extent of the problem: For example, specialisation on addiction studies in one of the major universities.  - Increased focus on the problem of heroin smoking; heroin smokers should have access to appropriate treatment.  A Safer Place to Live  Labour’s Overall Approach  1.) We will deal with the crime problem in a resolute and determined fashion. We want to put the criminal out of business. There is only one place for gangsters and drug barons – that is behind bars.  2.) However, our approach to crime is not exclusively aimed at confrontation, but is targeted also, as far as possible, at its elimination. We have to tackle with equal vigour the social conditions which give rise to criminal activity.  3.) It is clear that the drugs epidemic is a world-wide crisis. It is a problem which affects everyone. The drugs problem has its roots in poverty, unemployment and social disadvantage. A 1994 Health Research Board Report found that over 80% of those being treated for heroin addiction in the Dublin area were unemployed; and 92% were in the 15 to 39 age bracket.  4.) The interaction between organised crime and the drugs trade is a major threat not only to individuals, but also to the pattern of life of whole communities.  5.) In July 1996, the Labour Party published a policy document "The Drugs Menace and Organised Crime". It argued that a single inter-departmental agency was required without delay to break the stranglehold of the drug barons. The Criminal Assets Bureau was established by Ruairi Quinn in the summer of 1996. So far, it has had a number of key successes in its efforts to pursue and to bring to justice the major players in the criminal drugs trade, and their associates and professional advisers.  6.) Action to combat crime, especially violent and drug related crime requires:  - significant financial resources  - co-ordinated planning and management across agencies and services, and  - co-operation and support from local communities.  7.) The fight against crime includes the straightforward targets of  - seeking to prevent crime,  - improved detection and arrest rates  - efficient and fair processing of trials, and  - the correct balance of deterrence, punishment, and rehabilitation.  8.) This in turn involves  - effective policing,  - reforms in the way our Courts work,  - more prison places and  - greater emphasis on the probation service – including an end to unsupervised early releases from prison.  9.) There will always be habitual criminals. Prison, however, is not the only solution to crime. Prisons are for deterrence, punishment and the protection of society. All weapons in the fight against crime – the Gardaí, the Courts and the Prisons – require an improved management and control system. Adequate financial and human resources need to be provided for the processing of criminal charges, and criminal trials need to be accelerated.  10.) At present, the cost to society of containing crime, in terms of Exchequer spending on policing, prisons and other services is more than £600 m. per annum – and the loss and trauma of victims is almost unmeasurable.  11.) Labour believes in the establishment of major changes in a crucial set of relationships, namely those between the Gardaí, the prison service, the Department of Justice, the courts, and the probation and welfare service, subject to overall accountability to the Oireachtas.  12.) There is an equal need for a wide range of educational, social and economic measures aimed at ending social deprivation and alienation.  13.) There is great urgency in tackling now the conditions that cause the crime of the future. Most crime is committed by young men from deprived backgrounds who have left school early.  14.) Labour believes that a serious concerted effort is essential to provide targeted programmes for young people at risk.  15.) As well, the victims of crime are not treated well by the criminal justice system. This must be rectified.  Crime Prevention  The Gardaí  16.) The Gardaí are in the forefront of the fight against crime. They are the primary guardians of the community and, as such, should be and be seen to be, a part of the community. They should be independent in their structures and management and yet be responsive to community needs. Genuine community policing is not simply having a Garda on the beat. It requires a far greater degree of involvement with the community and integration with other services.  17.) The type of crime and indeed criminal which the Gardaí now have to deal with is far different from former times – more violent crime, extensive drug trafficking and an increase in sophisticated white collar crime. This requires a modern management structure, better morale and opportunities for career progression, new skills in the use of technology, and training in the best ways of co-operating effectively with local communities.  18.) Careers in the Garda Síochána should be normally be full-time and fully professional – based on mutual respect between citizens and members of the force with the common object of securing a peaceful and secure environment for people to get on with their daily lives.  19.) There is a potentially important role also for part-time policing at community level.  20.) Labour believes that there should be a wider debate on the changing role of the Gardaí and that this debate should be conducted in a formal context.  WE PROPOSE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A COMMISSION ON POLICING TO HELP FORGE A MODERN ROLE FOR THE POLICE FORCE.  THE COMMISSION SHOULD BE FORMULATED ALONG THE LINES OF THE EDUCATION CONVENTION AND INVOLVE THE GARDAÍ THEMSELVES, THE CIVILIAN STAFF, COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY GROUPS, RESIDENT GROUPS, APPROPRIATE EXPERTS AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES.  ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED INCLUDE:  - THE MERITS OF ESTABLISHING AN INDEPENDENT POLICE AUTHORITY  - THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE GARDAÍ, THE OIREACHTAS AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES  - INTERNAL GARDA MANAGEMENT STRUCTURES  - THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBER OF THE FORCE  - THE APPROPRIATE FUNCTIONS FOR CIVILIAN STAFF, AND THE CONDITIONS WITHIN WHICH THEY WORK  - THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE GARDAÍ AND OTHER AGENCIES SUCH AS CUSTOMS AND REVENUE  - GARDA/COMMUNITY RELATIONS (INCLUDING THE ISSUE OF COMMUNITY POLICING)  - THE ROLE OF SPECIALIST UNITS WITHIN THE GARDAÍ  - THE POTENTIAL FOR PART-TIME POLICING    Actions directed at the Causes of Crime  21.) Other measures in the Manifesto aimed at tackling disadvantage and at countering alienation will make a significant contribution to a reduction of crime in the future.  22.) In the short-term, significant progress in a number of areas is vital. For example, Youth Diversion strategies are required. They must be targeted at specific high density urban areas, where there is a combination of a large young population, high unemployment and a lack of basic amenities – the areas from which young offenders are most likely to come.  23.) The aim should be to keep young people within the education system for as long as possible – by making that system more responsive to their needs and by providing alternatives to the traditional education services. This will require further increases in the money allocated to pre-primary and primary education.  24.) The objective of the Garda Diversion Programme (formerly the non statutory Juvenile Liaison Officer Scheme) is to divert first time, non serious child offenders, where feasible, from being immediately drawn into the criminal justice system. The Programme has been judged a success by the Garda authorities, with up to 80% of participants each year failing to come again to the attention of the Gardaí.  25.) This programme should be:  - placed on a statutory basis, to enhance its status and increase its success rate  - extended to involve parents and members of the wider family at a very early stage following detection of offending by a child, and  - expanded to provide a forum for the victim of crime, where appropriate and desired, to confront the child offender in a properly controlled setting.  26.) Notwithstanding that it was so strongly supported by Fianna Fáil when it held the Department of Justice, the Youth Diversion Programme must, of course. be recognised as a complete antithesis to the policy now being so vehemently trumpeted as their instant solution to the major scourge of juvenile offending.  27.) We advocate:  - Community based support for families whose needs are not being met by the education system.  - Community based high quality pre-school facilities similarly targeted.  - Expansion of the Early Start programme.  - State assistance to community playgroups which meet certain quality criteria.  - Increase in remedial teachers, expansion of Breaking the Cycle, increase in Home School Liaison Officers.  - Revamp the School Attendance Service to become an Education Welfare service which provides training/counselling and support service for children who persistently avoid school and for school dropouts in conjunction with local community services. This service would engage in systematic tracing of school dropouts and provide alternative activities for those young people for whom the standard education service is not suitable.  - Initially, clubs, recreation areas and sporting activities could be provided before gradually moving into more structured education/training facilities.  - The service could also provide a community mentoring programme for excluded teenagers. It could also target its services at those students who find the transition form primary to secondary schooling impossible or very difficult.  - Primary teachers who may be re-deployed as a result of the fall in the school going population should normally be used in a targeted way to deal with disadvantage in education.  - The Higher Education Maintenance Grants will be extended to students attending PLC courses.  Drugs  28.) The fight against drugs is both essential for the overall welfare of society and a key component in the task of combating and preventing crime.  29.) There are three key elements:  - Policies aimed at supply reduction  - Policies aimed at demand reduction  - Proper treatment facilities  30.) Progress has been made over the last year in these three areas. The successful establishment of the Criminal Assets Bureau, the operation of local drugs task forces, and the increased number of places for treating addicts, have all contributed. The National Drugs Strategy Team was established last year to co-ordinate the State’s response to the drugs problem.  31.) School programmes, the provision for parental education, the work of Community Drugs Teams, and training in community leadership in enhancing the role of estate management in a community based response to drugs – all these are essential in reducing drugs demand. Our proposals for the treatment and rehabilitation of addicts are dealt with in Part 4 of this document.    Crime and the Legal System  32.) We support the reform of the bail laws, and the revamping of the courts system that underpins the approach to the new Courts Service. We believe that the following proposals would facilitate further the rapid processing of crimes through the system.  Unified Prosecution Service  33.) The Director of Public Prosecutions and the Chief State Solicitor’s Office both have a role in prosecutions at present. We propose their combination into a unified Prosecution Service. This would be a saving in Garda time taken up in prosecutions in the District Court. The Prosecution Service should have direct IT contact with the Gardaí  34.) The initial files on prosecutions compiled by the Gardaí are often inadequate. This should be addressed by better training for Gardaí in this area and by having specialists in each Garda Division with a knowledge of prosecution requirements.  35.) The Forensic services available to the service should be improved and, again, should be in direct Information Technology contact.  Prosecution of Drugs-related Offences  36.) The prosecution of drugs-related offences, and action related to evictions, should be fast-tracked by giving them priority in the Prosecution Service. There should be deadlines for  - forensic reports,  - DPP’s directions,  - preparations of the book of evidence and  - hearings.  Trials with certain types of serious offence should always take place within 60 days of arrest. The necessary support services including the Garda Forensic Unit require upgrading as a matter of urgency.  37.) The need for preliminary investigations of all charges in the District Court should be re-examined. Some offences could be designated as going straight to trial.  Information  38.) The court system should share with the Gardaí and the prisons an extensive information technology facility whereby detailed information would be available on warrants issued, failure to turn up for trial and related matters. For example, we do not have a register of bench warrants so there is no easy way of finding out when a warrant was issued against an individual, by whom and for what.  Criminal Legal Aid  39.) The rules on eligibility for criminal legal aid should be more rigidly enforced. A public defender system should be tried on a pilot basis. This would involve the use of salaried lawyers, at public expense, to represent persons granted legal aid.  Criminal Law Reform  40.) It is necessary, and urgent, to simplify and consolidate existing law on practice and procedure in the courts and on substantive criminal law.  41.) Arrangements could be made to contract out some of this work to deal with backlogs.  42.) Alternative ways must be found to deal with minor infringements. For example, increased use of "on the spot fines" in relatively minor areas (such as being "found on" licensed premises after hours) would free up court time for dealing with more serious offences.  Director of Public Prosections  43.) There is need for a wider relationship and opportunity for structured dialogue between the DPP and the Oireachtas. This will involve amendments to the over 20 year old Act which established the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.  44.) Independence must be maintained, and the integrity of prosecution judgements on individual cases protected. However, there is need for elected representatives to be able to query not just management and administration in general terms, but also for opportunities to examine DPPs policies  - for priorisation of categories of cases,  - how the DPP sees his role in the wider criminal justice system, and  - the resources and level of co-ordination required with other agencies to ensure the effective administration of justice.    Prisons  45.) Labour accepts that more prison places are needed. The Whittaker Report suggested in the mid-eighties that if current trends continued, approximately 4,000 places would be required by the mid-nineties. At the completion of the Government'’ current building programme, the number of places available will be in the region of 3,250.  46.) However, we are wary of arguments setting our the provision of more prison places as a panacea for our crime problem.  47.) There should be no tolerance of drugs in prisons given the extent of drug abuse and other medical problems. Labour believes that it is appropriate that the relevant health board in each case be given the responsibility for developing health care strategies within the prisons. The VEC for instance, is already responsible for the provision of education.  48.) Consideration should be given to the establishment of a district court within Mountjoy itself. Attendance at outside courts can represent another opportunity for the transmitting of drugs to prisoners.  49.) The choice between prison and payment of a fine ought not rest with the convicted person: the appropriate penalty should be decided by the courts.  50.) It is wrong that a person may opt to avoid a large fine by serving a prison sentence, or that a person may be able to choose to pay the fine rather than serve a sentence. We already have an attachment of earnings capacity within our family law system to ensure compliance with court orders. This facility should be extended to all fines levied on offenders.  51.) Nor is there any good reason why offenders, assessed as suitable for transfers to "open" prisons, where they would enjoy a higher rate of remission of sentence, can nonetheless refuse to take up such a transfer in the knowledge that, by remaining in Mountjoy, they are likely to be released much sooner, for reasons of overcrowding. Offender should serve out their sentences in the institution to which the authorities wish to send them.  52.) Labour supports the establishment by statute of an independent Prisons Agency, with the function of managing prisons coherently and in a planned and effective manner. It would have an independent Board appointed by the Government, including both members with specialist expertise and qualifications and also representatives of the community.  53.) The Board would be autonomous in its supervision of the operations of the Agency, which would be entrusted to a chief executive who would also be a Board member. The Board would appoint the chief executive who would also be a Board member. The Board would appoint the chief executive and he or she would be accounting officer of the Agency and responsible to the Board for day-to-day management. The Board would report annually to both Houses of the Oireachtas. The chief executive would be expected to appear and give evidence on a regular basis to relevant Dáil committee.  54.) A new management structure would devolve greater autonomy and responsibility to Governors for the management of, and future planning in relation to their own institutions.  55.) The Minister for Justice would retain overall policy making functions, and the central budgetary role. There would e a new legal framework.  56.) Certain powers would be reserved to the Minister – for example:  - commutation / remission of penalties,  - temporary releases,  - transfers of prisoners, and  - powers to issue general policy directives, after consultation with the agency, but without interfering with individual cases.  57.) Labour also supports the establishment of an independent Inspector of Prisons, with sufficient powers to inspect and report both annually and in relation to specific incidents, on conditions in all prisons and other places of detention, including those under the aegis of the Department of Education. Specific issues or complaints could be referred to the Inspector for investigation either by the Minister for Justice or by any member of prison staff or prisoner. The reports of the Inspector would be laid before the Oireachtas.  58.) The existing advisory committee which deals with the release of long-term prisoners should be placed on a statutory basis as a Parole Board. its remit should be extended to cover a wider range of sentences than it at present considers.  59.) The criteria according to which it operates should be set out in the legislation to ensures accountability and transparency in its operations. The temporary release of short-term prisoners would be a function of the Prison Agency, which would operate in close co-operation with the Probation and Welfare Service.  60.) New prison legislation to set up the prison agency will also repeal and consolidate all existing statutes much of which dates from the 19^th^ century. The role and status of visiting committees will be upgraded in the legislation.  Sentencing and Probation  61.) Sentencing policy and the desirable duration of sentences need to be addressed. Unsupervised early releases, which are often damaging to both the community and the offender, should be ended as quickly as practical.  62.) At any one time, there are several hundred people on early release, who are unsupervised, and who were not released for humanitarian or rehabilitation reasons.  63.) The Probation Service must at present provide two quite separate services – one for the family courts hearing cases of family breakdown and another for the criminal courts, in relation to the assessment of offenders. The Service is under increasing strain, and the two sides of the Service, which meet different needs, should be separated completely. On the criminal side, the Probation Service should be the primary target for additional resources in the area of sentencing.  64.) The Law Reform Commission made extensive recommendations on sentencing issues. We will address them in a new Sentencing Bill. We also support the view that:  - A comprehensive review should be undertaken by the Oireachtas in relation to the present range of sentencing options with a view to better co-ordination of penal and sentencing policy.  - A statutory scheme of sentencing should not be introduced, but rather non-statutory guidelines to the effect that the severity of the sentence to be imposed should be measured in proportion to the seriousness of the offending behaviour.  - A sentence of imprisonment should be regarded as a sanction of last resort.  - Community service orders should be made to the greatest extent possible.  - A centrally located criminal justice database should be created for the compilation and dissemination of statistics relevant to sentencing.  65.) It follows from this that we do not support the view that mandatory and minimum sentences for indictable offices should be introduced. However, Labour believes that the mandatory sentence for murder should be retained.    Violence Against Women  66.) Violence against women is a serious and widespread problem, with 7% of women currently suffering abuse from their partner. We will implement the recommendations of the Task Force on Violence Against Women.  67.) We will ensures that  - There is a proper network of services for women and their children.  - Treatment programmes for men, which confront the root causes of abuse, are put in place.  - The justice system will treat a violent assault on a woman by someone she knows as seriously as a violent attack on her from a stranger.    Victims of Crime  68.) Our criminal justice system rightly provides for legally imposed sanctions against offenders. But we have not always given due regard to the rights of the victims – in particular to their right to information on the progress of the investigation and prosecution.  69.) A case management system should be introduced for the purpose of keeping victims informed. Responsibility should be given to each individual member of the Garda involved in the investigation of crime to liaise with and give information to victims as to the stage in the criminal justice process which the case has reached.  70.) The work of the Irish Association for Victim Support is fully recognised. Additional funding for its activities will be allocated. A court accompaniment service to provide assurance and information for victims facing unfamiliar and intimidating court surroundings will be introduced on a pilot basis.  71.) There can be severe difficulty and worries for victims who are witnesses in serious cases when they find themselves in the unfamiliar and potentially hostile framework of courts and court proceedings. We will ensure that the next Government carefully examines the issue of ensuring victims rights to legal advice or representation in certain situations.    Conclusion  72.) Crime divides societies. It damages the quality of life of those who feel threatened by it and can often make them retreat from the wider communities in which they live.  73.) We can never underestimate the dangers crime poses to our social fabric and we are determined to tackle it. To be effective, we require a two pronged approach. We need to deal with existing crime in a tough and determined fashion. But, just as importantly, we need to tackle now the conditions that cause the crime of the future.  74.) In short, we have to be single-minded about crime – and just as single-minded about its causes.  A Better Place to Live and Work  Introduction  1.) Ireland is experiencing a vibrant period of very strong economic growth and development. All the real indicators tell the same story:  - the surge in employment,  - rising living standards,  - fast growth in GNP,  - more Irish people coming back to live and work here,  - more new houses built,  - rising numbers of foreign holidays,  - investment by high technology companies,  - rising numbers entering third level education and  - other very positive developments.  2.) This type of progress is necessary and welcome. However, it means that we should pay ever increasing attention to the quality of life, to the type of environment that is evolving, and to the inclusion of all citizens and communities in sustainable and balanced development of our country.  3.) GNP growth in aggregate is of little benefit if someone does not have the income, or the physical and social environment to enjoy its fruits.  4.) To achieve this, the right mix of political leadership and community involvement is vital.  5.) For example, improving the way transport is managed, dealing with traffic congestion, ensuring better quality of air and water, enhancing food safety, sensible waste management, protection of the country’s national heritage and amenities and balanced regional development – all of these have to be priorities.  6.) And there are dramatic opportunities in front of us to create a better framework for artistic development, to encourage wider participation in sport, to share our heritage and our natural environment with visitors from abroad, to renew our own culture in new, exciting ways.  7.) A high quality environment has long been part of Ireland’s national endowment. Indeed, the country’s green image has already given us a competitive advantage in a number of areas, food and tourism being notable examples. Changing settlement, socio-economic and lifestyle patterns, however, have altered the balance between environment and society in Ireland.  8.) The threat to our environment has been growing and the symptoms of environmental stress are becoming apparent: increasing water pollution, depletion of natural resources, waste production, damage to natural habitats and erosion of our landscapes are all symptomatic of this trend.  9.) It is now time to establish a sounder relationship between Ireland’s economy and environment. If this can be done successfully then the strong growth we now enjoy and seek to maintain will be environmentally sustainable.  10.) The fundamentals must be right. Sustainable development demands a new way of living and doing business, a new design of policies to guide future action, and to give reality to a new vision for Ireland.    Physical Planning  11.) The Labour Party has an unequalled record in standing up for the rights of local communities in the face of unjustified rezoning and bad planning.  12.) We believe the key to proper planning and development is the development plan. However, we recognise that the present development plan process has a number of major deficiencies. Many plans tend to be static, control-orientated documents rather than blueprints for the development of communities.  13.) Often, major concerns such as infra-structural development or provision of health or education services are simply not dealt with. Public participation in the process of drawing up and adopting development plans tends to be rigid and "top-down".  14.) Labour in Government will take the following steps:  - A National Convention on planning and development will be held in order to reach a broad consensus about planning and development in the context of sustainable development.  - We will seek to place before the Convention a new planning and development Bill, to introduce a new hierarchy of development plans, national, regional, and focal.  15.) We will be recommending the following framework:  National  16.) The national plan will integrate physical planning with the development of national infrastructure such as roads and rail.  17.) The National Economic and Social Forum, following a process of consultation and research, will be asked to make recommendations to Government regarding Growth Centres for the country as a whole.  18.) The issue of the further growth of Dublin, together with the difficulty in maintaining population levels in rural Ireland, will be addressed.  19.) These recommendations will be assessed by Government as the basis for a National Development Plan.  Regional  20.) Regional plans will be drawn up by the Regional Authorities in consultation with community councils, roads authorities, CIE and its constituent companies, Telecom, IBEC, Trade Unions, Health Boards, Regional Education Authorities and VEC’s and other relevant interests.  21.) The plans will take account of land use policy, transport planning, industrial development, housing needs and population growth, tourism, forestry and agriculture. The plans must have regard to national growth centre policy.  Local  22.) Local plans will take account of local land use considerations, and incorporate proper planning and provision of services – including health, education, social services, local government services, shopping and recreational facilities.  23.) Plans at all three levels will incorporate sustainable development considerations.  24.) A new public consultation procedure for local plans will be devised which will include the following elements:  - Sharing of information papers drafted in non-technical language with community and other interest groups.  - Mandatory consultation with all relevant interest groups including residents associations, chambers of commerce, health agencies, Regional Educational Boards etc.  - Draft plans to provide options and alternatives for discussion.  - All documentation to be provided with a non-technical summary including the final adopted plan.  - Oral hearings to be chaired by an independent person before final adoption of plan.  - All major infra-structural development, for example by the ESB, gas, telephones and roads must be included in the development plan.  25.) In the reformed process, An Bord Pleanála will be bound by development plans in determining planning appeals.  26.) It will not be possible to adopt area plans until the whole development plan has been adopted.  27.) Partnership 2000 points to the need to consider further streamlining of the planning system to minimise delays and uncertainties, and the introduction of accelerated procedures for major projects involving significant employment and added value. These procedures will allow for applications for outline planning permission to be made on sites earmarked for the development of light/clean industry.  28.) Conditions will include specified classes of industry, outline designs of structures and maximum emission standards. Heavy industry including chemical/pharmaceutical industries likely to involve complex environmental issues will not be included in the specific list of acceptable industries.  29.) There is a concern that the present system of planning and licensing of activities which have implications for both physical planning and environmental protection is not sufficiently integrated to allow for a holistic consideration of complex development proposals. The planning system and the licensing system of the EPA will be revised to make it mandatory that both applications are considered simultaneously.  30.) Furthermore, both the planning authority and the EPA will be obliged to consult with each other as applications are considered.  31.) Applications relating to fire and building control will also be simultaneously considered. Bord Pleanála will be given the power to take environmental considerations into account in exceptional circumstances when determining on a planning appeal and have regard to standards imposed by the EPA.  32.) Environmental Impact Assessment procedures will be changed to ensure the independence and integrity of the process.  33.) For planning applications in the private sector, if an Environment Impact Statement is required by law, the developer will choose from a list of consultants provided by the planning authority. The consultant will be contracted by the planning authority to carry out the EIS and the cost will be recovered through planning fees. Public consultation at the scoping stage of the study will be mandatory.  34.) In the case of developments involving the State, consideration will be given to adopting an independent process to certify EIA statements. All major public projects involving an EIS will be obliged to involve the public in the scoping process, and before being certified, an oral hearing will be required.  35.) Information on planning and development will be made more accessible to local communities. Libraries, Post Offices, and Community Health Centres will be more widely used for public notice procedures, particularly planning applications and public consultation processes.  36.) Local Authority public consultation procedures will be revised and improved to ensure the maximum level of genuine public participation in decision-making.  37.) The relationship between a development plan and other forms of special designation, e.g. National Heritage Areas (NHAs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs) will be clarified in the forthcoming Bill to amend the Wildlife Act. We will examine means of working in partnership with the private sector to fund a threatened species recovery programme.  38.) The range of development currently classed as exempted under the planning code will be reviewed.  39.) New legislation is being prepared along the lines recommended in Strenghtening the Protection of the Architectural Heritage (published in September 1996), and a package of administrative and financial measures will create a fully effective framework for protecting the built heritage. Owner occupiers of listed buildings who wish to carry out restoration works will be supported.    Sellafield  40.) Following the success of the "Nirex Campaign" two areas in the British Nuclear Fuels operation are of very serious concern in Ireland:  - The first is the old Magnox Reactors. They must be decommissioned without further delay and regardless of cost. There is an overwhelming safety case for the decommissioning.  - The second major threat in Ireland comes from the storage of highly active liquid waste in tanks at the Sellafield complex.  41.) We have demonstrated what can be done with the Nirex Dump and will now pursue these two primary targets.    Transport  Introduction  42.) Transport policy should involve sustainable investment and clear strategies. The emphasis must be on optimum use of existing infrastructure and resources, reflecting the requirements to move people and goods, not vehicles.  43.) The transport system should be more efficient and competitive, safe, environmentally friendly and customer oriented. Transport policy should be demand driven: it should reinforce land use, social and economic policies.  Rural Transport  44.) In the context of rural disadvantage the provision of local public transport services is one of the keys to breaking the isolation and economic and social disadvantage of those living in rural areas. This includes younger people wishing to go to work or college or older citizens to shop, socialise, or travel locally.  45.) Labour proposes to introduce a licensing regime that will give an incentive to transport operators (public and private), to provide wide-spread services in rural areas.  46.) This will be enhanced by a system of contracting and the free travel arrangement.  47.) Labour supports, in line with the national sustainable development strategy, efficient, cost-effective and customer focused development of the rail network. This will provide economic, social, environmental and regional benefits.  Urban Transport  48.) It is our intention to intensify the evolution of policy as follows:  - Implementation of the Dublin Transportation Initiative will be intensified.  - All three light rail lines in Dublin will be completed, extensions to the DART both north and south will proceed as quickly as practical.  - Further development of the Arrow line railway commuter services for West Dublin and Kildare will be a priority.  - Quality bus corridors in Dublin will be expanded and further supported.  - Operation Freeflow in Dublin will be maintained and adequately resourced in to the future.  - A National Cycling Advisory Group will be set up to recommend options for the provision of a national network of cycle paths. The Group will be made up of representatives of Bord Fáilte, Local Authorities, cycling organisations etc.  - Urban authorities and in Dublin the Dublin Transport Office will work with local communities, business and schools to extend and improve safe cycle routes to work and school.  - Local Authorities will be supported in reducing or banning deliveries and refuse collection in commercial areas during business hours.  The Department of the Environment and appropriate agencies, such as the Dublin Transportation Office, will actively encourage greater public awareness of the unsustainable aspects of increasing use of vehicle transport. []0  Roads  49.) Development will continue on the four strategic road corridors linking the principal centres of economic development and population, ports and airports. The completion of the national primary road network will be speeded up. Adequate resources will be allocated to national secondary roads.  50.) The roads restoration programme for county roads will be resourced at the present high level into the future until the network is up to standard. Under Labour our county roads will be maintained and never again will rural communities be cut off because of poorly maintained roads.  Sustainable Development  51.) The Strategy for Sustainable Development was launched by Brendan Howlin in April 1997. The Strategy sets out the programme of commitments and actions across the entire economic spectrum which are necessary to focus our economy and our society on a more sustainable path. A significant number of Labour’s proposals on the environment is informed by the Strategy which has been broadly welcomed as a major milestone in environmental policy in Ireland.  Action and Awareness  52.) Public concern about the environment, and unsustainable practices which threaten or damage it, is well developed. However, this concern does not always translate into action at individual or consumer level. Individual action counts. The Strategy will ensure that people make choices on the basis of better information.  53.) Labour in Government will ask the Director of Consumer Affairs to make recommendations for providing full and authoritative environmental information to consumers, and in consultation with the relevant Departments, to prepare a Code of Practice on green marketing.  54.) The Access to Information in the Environment Regulations 1996, will be reviewed in the context of Freedom of Information legislation. A Code of Good Practice on Issuing Environmental Information will be prepared for implementing authorities by the Department of the Environment.  55.) The new Litter Pollution Bill will be vigorously implemented, the environmental service – ENFO – will be further developed and greater emphasis will be placed on environmental education within the formal education system.  56.) A new system of financial support will be established by the Department of the Environment for community based environmental awareness activities.  57.) As part of the continuing implementation of a sustainable development strategy, we intend to act across the following areas:  Water Resources  - An integrated catchment management initiative will reverse deteriorating quality trends in selected catchments.  - New regulations will be made under the Waste Management Act 1996, to prevent and control water pollution from waste disposal.  - New water quality standards will guide EPA and local authorities in devising and implementing strategies to deal with non-point pollution.  - The Fisheries (Amendment) Bill will be enacted to provide for the development of the aquaculture industry in accordance with high environmental standards.  - A national ground-water programme will be established to quantify resources, establish quality and make recommendations for sustainable us.  - A national Coastal Zone Management Police will be developed.  - Continuing investment to meet water quality standards and requirements will be a feature of policy  - A water conservation programme is being developed at central and local level including "water audits" for capital schemes, funding for water conservation projects and a proactive approach to leakage control.  - Pricing policies will be developed to promote conservation by major industrial and commercial water users.  Landscape and Nature  - The Wildlife Act will be updated to provide a statutory basis for Natural Heritage Areas. A new Bill will ensure statutory recognition for national gardens and historic parks.  - The European Communities (Natural Habitats) Regulations 1997, will support the definition and protection of some 400 proposed Special Areas of Conservation, covering 550,000 hectares or some 5% of land areas.  - Labour is also committed to the further development of a Liffey Valley National Park.  Waste Management  - New Regulations of waste will include the EPA licensing of landfill sites, commencing on 1 May 1997 and management of packaging wastes.  - Waste management policies will aim to achieve:  - The stabilisation of municipal waste quantities by 1999, and their reduction by 20% by 2010  - The diversion of 20% of municipal waste from landfill, by recycling, by 1999, with higher targets to be established for subsequent years  - An increase to at least 50% in the recovery rate for packaging waste by 2005.  - There will be a continued improvement in the compilation of waste statistics to provide a yardstick for future performance.  - The use of economic instruments will be explored to reduce waste, promote reuse/recycling and increase management efficiency.  Air Quality  - Policies to ensure that local air quality is maintained and improved, particularly in urban areas, will be actively pursued.  - EPA will be asked to prepare a national air quality monitoring programme.  Energy  - Energy conservation and demand-side management to promote efficiency will be encouraged and monitored.  - New incentives will be introduced to encourage investment in renewable energy sources.  - Under the Renewable Energy Strategy, installed electricity generating capacity from renewable sources will reach 10% of total installed capacity by the end of 1999; further growth under the strategy will increase this to 14% by 2010.  - The national objective is to limit the growth in total emissions of the major greenhouse gas emissions up to the year 2010 to 15% above 1990 levels.  - Strong policies will be maintained and intensified, as appropriate, to minimise and eliminate the threats to public health and safety, and the environment, posed by the nuclear industry.  Agriculture  - Measures will include the use of revised recommended application rates for phosphorus (P) fertilisers for grassland, to reduce soil P levels. The aim will be to secure a reduction of 10% per annum in artificial P fertiliser usage over the next five years.  - Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) licensing will be phased in from 1997 for existing intensive agriculture activities.  - Environmental cross-compliance as a standard consideration will be extended in respect of agricultural support, i.e. wider use of environmental requirements as a condition for support payments.  - Nutrient Management Planning (as now statutorily provided for in the Waste Management Act), will be promoted on a mandatory basis by local authorities where agriculture is identified as a significant contributor to eutrophication of rivers and lakes. Emphasis will be placed on such planning on individual farms, and in water catchments and regional areas.  - We will aim to secure approval for, and an uptake of 30% of farmers in the REPS by the year 1999.  Forestry  - New legal powers will be taken to make planning permission a requirement for plantations which would not warrant EIA.  Marine Resources  - We will continue to support efforts under the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) to optimise the management and conservation of sea fisheries.  - We will ratify the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR) including all Irish coastal waters in 1997.  - An inventory of chemical munitions dump sites around the Irish coast will be developed as part of a joint preparation of a quality status report by the Irish and UK authorities under the OSPAR Convention.  - A new salmon management strategy is being implemented on a phased basis.  - We will seek the implementation of a strict new code on the shipment of nuclear materials, and in particular to have the existing Code on the Safe Carriage of Irradiated Nuclear Fuel (the INF Code) made mandatory.  - Labour proposes the banning of the location of new waste landfills near coasts in estuaries, rather than merely "requesting" local authorities to do so.  Tourism  - Planning authorities will make provision in their development plans for sustainable tourism, and ensure through the planning process that overdevelopment does not take place. Appropriate guidelines will be issued on good environmental management to the tourist accommodation sector.  - Measures will be taken to ensure that all river cruisers licensed for hire are fitted with appropriate storage and pumping facilities. Complementary shore pumping facilities must be readily available in order to further develop the Grand and Royal Canals and the Shannon system.  - Research will be commissioned on the "critical loads" of tourist destinations, including sensitive coastal or wilderness areas, to provide a basis for the establishment of sustainable tourist numbers.  Industry  - Producer responsibility initiatives (such as the REPAK scheme) will be encouraged to increase reuse and recycling of wastes. There will be regulatory support to ensure fair competition.  - The EPA, in cooperation with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and the Department of Transport, Energy & Communications, will develop a materials and energy balance for industry to determine the full extent of industry’s environmental and natural resource impacts. The EPA will advise on targets for greater eco-efficiency.  - The extension of the EU EcoManagement and Audit Scheme (EMAS) to all major industrial sites will be actively promoted.  - A Pollution Emissions Register will be published by the EPA in 1997. Regulations will be introduced subsequently to establish by 1998 a more complete Toxics Release Inventory.  - The EPA will complete a national hazardous waste management plan by 1998.  - Forbairt and An Bord Trachtála, with the Marine Institute as appropriate, will explore the opportunities for Irish industry in the growth area of environmental industry, including pollution control technology and equipment, and environment consultancy services.    Food Safety and Consumers  58.) Labour believes that the welfare concerns and rights of consumers must take precedence over all other aspects of the food industry. These concerns centre on the safety, the nutritional merit, the cost as well as ethical concerns in relation to the methods of food production. The legitimate interests of those who produce food must be seen as secondary to the over riding importance of consumers.  59.) It is imperative that a clearly defined structure to ensure food safety is established and properly funded and managed. The new Food Safety Authority proposed by the Government is a welcome development. Its auditing and supervisory powers in relation to food safety and its capacity to act directly in emerging situations will be important. It is imperative that the new authority is funded adequately and that it engages the right level of expertise to build public confidence in its operations. The public now demands genuine performance in consumer protection, and not just promises from farmers, processors, distributors and politicians.  60.) There should be a specially dedicated enforcement unit within the Food Safety Authority. This unit should have senior status within the structure of the Authority, and it could, for example, have the title "Commissioner of Food Safety".  61.) A central food safety laboratory equipped to compile and analyse the data necessary to enforce safe food standards is essential. Standards on a par with the highest in the world must be set with particular emphasis on the established food pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. These are responsible for must cases of food poisoning. Wile under-reporting of cases and outbreaks of food poisoning is accepted as the de facto situation internationally, unless reasonable baseline data is accumulated on the actual number of cases and outbreaks of food borne illness, it will prove difficult to put in place an effective programme to ensure a real reduction in the numbers of incidents.  62.) To counter this, it is imperative that general practitioners are encouraged to report cases of food poisoning. In relation to the emerging food hazards such as BSE in beef and the occurrence of E.coli O157 (the new hamburger bug). it is suggested that a co-operation agreement should be made between the laboratory here dealing with food safety and a number of food safety laboratories in the UK, Europe and the United States. This would ensure that Irish expertise on emerging food hazards would be equal to the best available anywhere in the world. It is also suggested that a comprehensive exchange programme between food scientists in Irish laboratories and those overseas be put in place.  63.) Within the ambit of EU Regulations, there must be clear regulations on the use of food additives with an emphasis on the reduction of the level of additives in foods to the lowest levels compatible with safety, convenience and cost. The FSA would be charged with enforcing these standards and ensuring that the levels of additives in foods were in accord with the levels specified on the labels.  64.)We propose:  - the testing of all animals for drug residues prior to slaughter as a part of the veterinary pre-mortem examination of animals  - that it should be an offence to offer for sale animal products for human consumption if minimal withdrawal periods after the administration of drugs is not adhered to  - the formulation and introduction of strict controls to prevent the over use of fertilisers. Special guidelines need to be compiled which will set limits on the acceptable levels of fertiliser used in crop production  - the introduction of a licensing system for the regulation of pesticides and herbicides used in plant production. The more hazardous of these products should be available on "prescription" only  - the licensing of all retail food outlets so as to ensure that minimal standards of hygiene are not undermined because of inadequate facilities that increase the risk of food contamination with pathogenic micro-organisms  - the labelling of food should be as comprehensive as is compatible with the size of labels. They should contain information on cooking instructions, storage productions, nutritional composition and a declaration of additives or potential allergens in the food  - a specially targeted programme of nutritional information designed to lessen the risks and consequences of eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa.  Ethical concerns on production methods  65.) The pasts ten years has seen a growing concern among the public about the ethical aspects of food production. The public now recoil from many of the technologies used in "factory farming". The Food Safety Authority should have a supervisory role to monitor such practices, and if necessary should recommend legislators that unacceptable practices be outlawed.  Genetic Methods  66.) There is a great deal of public concern about the possible dangers that could arise from the introduction of genetically engineered materials of foods. There is a need for an adequate licensing system so as to ensure that they do not pose any threat to the health of the consumer. A committee of experts should advise the Food Safety Authority on the risks and issues that are attached to the use of these products for human consumption.  67.) A similar licencing process will apply to novel foods such as new proteins produced by the chemical industry either as main ingredients or types of food additives. New methods of food processing will also fall within the remit of a similar control mechanism. New food processing techniques such as the irradiation of foods should require a licence and similar labelling requirements would apply to these processes as apply to genetically engineered foods.    Cultural Identity  68.) The talent and creativity of Irish people has been projected through literature, music and the visual arts with considerable pride in recent years. This has been the case throughout the European Union, as exemplified by events such as L’Imaginaire Irlandaise in France. This confident expression of our cultural identity through the arts will continue to be fostered through:  - the continuing development of cultural infrastructure  - support programmes for the work of creative and performing artists  - a growing emphasis on access to the arts in our schools  - targeted programmes to promote inclusion in the cultural space for marginalised groups  - the promotion of European identity through cultural partnerships  Arts & Culture  69.) Three years of the Arts Plan has produced significant advances. Funding for the last two years of the Arts Plan will be provided.  70.) A significant start has been made in building a regional network of theatres, art galleries, museums and arts centres at more than 30 locations throughout the country. This will be completed by 1999, and will be followed by a further five year development plan.  71.) Labour will put in place a definite building plan for the National Museum at Collins Barracks in Dublin. The short and medium term capital needs of the Abbey Theatre will be addressed.  72.) Labour acknowledges that the arts can play a central part in any community development process.  73.) Resources will be targeted to encourage communities to provide opportunities for direct participation in arts activities as well as to access high quality performances and exhibitions. The range of cultural services to communities will include projects to foster an understanding and respect for the heritage of their own locality.  74.) The Arts Awareness Intervention Programme for the long-term unemployed was developed by "Creative Activity for Everyone" as a Labour Party initiative in government. It will be possible to organise similar projects for other marginalised groups and resources will be provided for this purpose.  75.) The Percentage for Art Scheme currently provides for the inclusion of arts works in public building projects under the aegis of the Department of the Environment and the Office of Public Works. The Scheme will be revised and expanded and will be extended to the building programmes of other Government Departments.  76.) Labour is firmly committed to the centrality of the arts in our education system.  An Gaeilge  77.) The self-confidence of a coming generation, which burst upon our screens with the inauguration of Teilifís na Gaeilge, showed young Irish men and women working at ease with the latest communications technology, comfortable with the challenges of the modern world and secure in their sense of identity in a multifaceted culture. This is the proud context in which the future of the Irish language will evolve.  78.) The decline in the use of the Irish language has been arrested. In the last decade the number of people using Irish as their medium of communication on a regular basis has stabilised at about 11% of the population.  79.) A series of initiatives will be taken, along the lines recommended in the report Treo 2000, aimed at increasing the number of people choosing to speak Irish in their homes, in their work places and during their leisure time. A strategic plan to achieve a level of 15% over the next decade will be drawn up.  80.) Sé cuspóir ár bpolasaithe ná cothromanocht a chruthú – ciallaíon sé sin saol phobal na Gaeltachtí a bheith ar chomhchéim leis an tír i gcoitinn agus cearta iomlán teangan i ndeighleáil leis an stát agus an córas poibli.  81.) Labour believes in the central importance of the family in the promotion of the Irish language in the community. Bord na Gaeilge will be asked to provide information and advice programmes for families on the language options and services available. A special support programme will be set up to encourage parents in speaking Irish to their children.  82.) Building on the work of recent years the promotion of bilingualism in Government Departments and Stage Agencies with a view to providing services in Irish to those who seek this right will continue. In addition, legislation to codify the rights of those speaking the Irish language as their principal language, will be introduced.  83.) An Gúm – the Irish Publications Branch – will develop a five to eight year programme for the provision of a complete range of Irish language textbooks and dictionaries.  84.) The Commission on School Accommodation Needs will initiate a national study to measure the level of demand for all-Irish schooling at the primary and post primary levels.  85.) A ten year development plan for Irish-medium education will be formulated.  86.) A project-based system for funding voluntary organisations promoting the Irish language will be phased in.  Heritage  87.) Autonomous governance arrangements for the National Museum and the National Library have been provided in the Cultural Institutions Act 1997. Our objective is to raise the National Cultural Institutions for Heritage to a level comparable to their European counterparts.  88.) There is need to provide for a phased expansion of recruitment of the professional skilled staff that are necessary. Labour proposes that a three person Group – an independent Chairperson and nominees of the Departments of Finance and Arts, Culture & the Gaeltacht – will identify the staff needs and recommend the appropriate phasing.  89.) Labour has developed integrated proposals for the protection of the country’s architectural heritage. Our plan is:  - to put the National Architectural Inventory on a statutory footing  - to provide for the listing of important national, regional and local buildings by Local Authorities consistent with national guidelines.  - to have a system of state grants and reliefs towards the maintenance of these buildings.  90.) Labour will sponsor legislation to establish Natural Heritage Areas throughout the country. This will give protection to important parts of the countryside. It will also enable Ireland to ratify the Convention on International Traffic in Endangered Species.  91.) The vibrancy of our cultural life and the richness of our countryside in heritage sites and monuments is a major feature in Ireland’s attraction as a tourist destination. To ensure authenticity, it is desirable to have integrated cultural projects rooted in the community which can ultimately be shared with the visitor.  Broadcasting  92.) Labour believes it vital that Irish people should continue to enjoy:  - access for expression on the airwaves, and  - the right to receive information rooted in their own cultural experience.  93.) RTE will be strenghtened legally and financially as the National Broadcaster.  94.) There is almost certain to be a major shift in the broadcasting environment in the wake of digital technology and the television ambitions of market driven transnational conglomerates. Irish based entrepreneurs must be able to develop as broadcasters, to promote a genuine mixed model of radio and television providers, with strong community loyalties encouraged by indigenous talent.  95.) Labour will set up by statute a Broadcasting Commission, along the lines published by Michael D. Higgins, to provide the necessary regulatory framework for a resilient, flexible approach in the coming decades.  Development of the Cultural Industries  96.) Film, publishing and music have been shown to be job rich enterprises. Labour in government have promoted strongly the indigenous film industry, and the incentives necessary to ensure future development will be maintained and refined. A start has been made in growing the music sector by the extension of the Business Expansion Scheme to music related investments. A Music Board will be established in partnership with the industry to provide supports for developmental projects.  Planning & Funding  97.) Ireland’s per capita expenditure on cultural services has traditionally lagged behind European norms. Labour has focused on cultural planning and, over the last four years, has given an impetus to sectoral reform and renewal.  98.) Many issues remain to be addressed and for this additional resources will be required. At present about 0.9% of public expenditure is allocated for cultural purposes. Labour proposes to raise this steadily.  A Lifetime of Learning    Introduction  1.) Our objective is to become one of the most skilled nations in the world with relevant skills and knowledge distributed throughout the community. Expenditure on education is a crucial investment. It must include early educational intervention, and facilitate lifelong learning.  2.) Lifelong learning is a central theme of our message. On the one hand, a rapidly changing economy demands economic flexibility. On the other, people have a right to a reasonable level of income security for themselves and their families. Achieving both will be the key measure of social and economic success.  3.) In the future, the market place will change more rapidly than in the past. There will be a lot of well-remunerated work. However, the notion of the permanent job will greatly diminish in importance.  4.) The aim will be, through continuous opportunities for learning and for appropriate training, and through modifying where necessary social and economic structures, to ensure that all citizens are enabled to be in a position that they are capable of being employed throughout their lifetimes.  5.) Thousands of jobs are disappearing every year in Ireland, while more are being created. Specific steps will be essential to ensure that those whose jobs become redundant are given a real and better chance of moving into more of the newly created jobs.  6.) As we approach the 21^st^ century, the world is in the early stages of a revolution as profound and all-pervasive as the industrial revolution of the last century. Ireland fell on the wrong side of the industrial revolution. The consequences over the subsequent century and a half were devastating.  7.) Because this time we have greater control over our national destiny, it is within our abilities to ensure that this time, the information revolution does not leave us behind.  8.) The new age promises the ability to liberate people from drudgery, to organise our society with collegial and co-operative networks and fewer command-and-control hierarchies. It also offers at least some possible solutions to the overuse of the planet’s natural resources. However, there are also real dangers: every period of rapid change threatens social and economic upheaval, with consequent marginalisation for some.    Strategy for the Information Age  9.) A good start has been made to preparing a co-ordinated national strategy for managing this enormous change with the actions announced following the report of the Government’s Information Society Steering Committee.  10.) Building on the momentum now created, Labour’s objective is to ensure that our national strategy includes the following points.  11.) The education system will play the most critical role of all in equipping the country for the Information Age. Labour in Government has already launched the Schools Information Technology 2000 Programme and related initiatives, which will cost £30m, to help toward achieving a quantum leap in IT provision for schools.  12.) We will follow this by setting a target date, in agreement with the parties concerned, by which all teachers in the country are equipped with both the skills and equipment to use the Internet and other new technologies as a resource in teaching their subjects.  13.) We will also set a goal of achieving universal IT literacy, which is becoming as essential to participating fully in the labour market as literacy itself.  14.) In the Information Age citizens will find it necessary to think even more for themselves. They will not wish to be closely supervised. They will want to use their own initiative to get things done, and be able to make connections between seemingly unrelated issues.  15.) We will take steps to ensure that our education system develops these abilities even more strongly in future.  16.) Labour will investigate ways in which social cohesion can be enhanced by ensuring access to Information Technology for those in the community who would otherwise miss out on the IT revolution. In addition, Labour aims to install Internet connections in public libraries.  17.) Voluntary and community groups should be given particular assistance in acquiring and learning to use information technology and communications.  18.) We will take advantage of the Freedom of Information legislation which Labour has promoted to open up access to all forms of government publications, statistics, and other information to citizens over the network.  19.) We will set targets for all public services to be made available over the electronic network. For example, welfare payments could be distributed through cash machines, tax returns could be sent electronically, planning applications could similarly be processed of the network. This would have two major benefits. On the one hand it would provide citizens with better quality and more convenient services, and on the other it would provide a powerful stimulus for the development of a sophisticated national market for advanced services.  20.) This in turn would provide a richer environment for the development of successful IT-related companies, in what is rapidly becoming the most powerful industrial sector in the world economy for the foreseeable future.  21.) We also aim to establish a national network infrastructure with broadband links to every school and library in the country, with interactive video capability at every location, and with support for local skills training in using the technology. Every community must have access to the new age of information.  22.) We also support the promotion of major flagship development and demonstration projects such s digital industrial parts and Telecom Eireann’s Information Age Town.  23.) And we aim to encourage the growth of volume in network communications by moving towards the lowest possible price levels, with adequate measures for re-training people displaced by these developments, to equip them for new job opportunities.  24.) We will set up a specific programme office to co-ordinate projects and monitor progress against targets.    Equality and Partnership  25.) Labour believes that equality begins at the very earliest stage of education – that’s why we have begun, and will continue to support, the Early Start PreSchool Programme, the Breaking the Cycle Primary School Programme, lower class sizes in primary schools, and renewing the curriculum at primary level.  26.) Real education must involve parents as full partners and we are putting in place the structures to ensure this. The aim is partnership with parents in the schools, in the parent’s associations, in boards of management and Regional Education Boards, and by involving parents in national policy.  27.) But many adults and parents did not get the chance to benefit from education in the past. The vast majority of our young people now go to the Leaving Certificate and beyond. This is not true of many of their parents. We must seize the opportunity to allow adults to return to education, to build their skills, to encourage them to participate fully in our confident society both at work and in leisure.  28.) Labour will ensure that suitable and effective programmes are in place for all who wish to overcome literacy and numeracy problems and who wish to continue learning throughout their lives.  29.) Adult education, provided through various agencies, including the development of open and distance learning opportunities, will promote lifelong learning and continuous re-training.  30.) We aim to help adults gain access to courses in mainstream second level and third level education. There should be increased co-operation between providers and employers, and targeting of adults who have special needs – including the long-term unemployed and those with literacy and numeracy problems.  31.) Existing measures such as the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) and the Adult Literacy Community Education Scheme will be enhanced.  32.) Lifelong learning means that people are actively engaged in their education and this can only happen if all citizens and all partners in education know their rights, their roles and their responsibilities. That’s why we believe that education should be supported by a legal framework for the first time in the history of our state.  33.) This helps us focus on equality – equality for all our citizens in benefiting from education. It brings us into the mainstream of practice in Europe – a Europe with which our successful young people increasingly identify.  34.) The new framework will promote a genuine pluralism – a pluralism where programmes and courses are geared to each learner’s needs, a pluralism where diversity and different school types and traditions are encouraged and welcomed, a pluralism where each citizen in our society knows that they have a right to education and it is a right which they are encouraged to take up.  35.) Forty percent of our population are under 25 years old. We owe these young people the best of education. We owe it especially to those who may be excluded. Education is not just about skills. We build our economic success on education. We build a more equal society on education. We build concern for the environment on education. And through education for citizenship, we encourage each person to become involved in their own community.  36.) Education is central to building a society which works to remove fear; the fear of elderly people about crime, the fear of disadvantaged people about a hopeless future.  37.) Labour proposes to build on the partnership which has been outlined in Niamh Bhreathnach’s White Paper on Education and which has been embodied in the Education Bill and the Universities Act.  38.) In particular, we will establish ways by which parents, teachers, school patrons and others interested in education will have access to the planning of education, will have their voices heard and will be consulted as decisions are made.  In the Regions  39.) The aim is to empower communities to plan for education in each region through the Education Boards. The education boards will be representative of all the partners in education. They will plan education in their region and consult widely on the education plan for the region. The draft plan will be advertised on local media, in the papers, and on local radio.  40.) The education board will set up formal mechanisms for consultation with each community in the region on how the education plan affects them. And when the plan is finalised, it will be available in every school, in every public library and will be on sale at an affordable price.  41.) Every year the plan will be reviewed, every year there will be a report, and every year there will be information freely available to the public on how the investment in education is being used in their region.  42.) This will be a staggering change in the way education is planned at the moment. The education system is often criticised for being secretive, slow and unresponsive. The education boards, with their democratic structure, will transform this to an open accountable process where each person has access to information on how decisions are made.  At National Level  43.) These democratic structures at regional level will bring decisions to the regions and leave national policy making to the Minister and Department of Education. Examples of such policy areas are fairness in funding of all schools, curriculum content, and planning for the information society. But here also, democracy demands that those who are affected by education policy have a hand in shaping it.  44.) Labour will involve the partners in education in the strategic planning work of the Department of Education through consultative committees. And when decisions are made, they will be openly published by laying of regulations before the Oireachtas so that policy is clearly known and publicly debated.  45.) We will focus on quality education for all students and on returning to education throughout their lives for adults, especially adults who did not benefit from the education system in the past.  Investment in Education  46.) Funding of education is an investment – an investment in our country’s prosperity and in our people’s future. Our economic success and buoyancy gives us a unique opportunity to enhance the quality and quantity of our investment in education. Labour pledges a high priority to funding education.  47.) In particular, Labour proposes to steadily raise the investment in targeted programmes such as Early Start, Breaking the Cycle and general interventions in primary and pre-primary education.  At Pre-School  48.) With parents, Labour plans to build on the success of the Early Stan PreSchool Programme established by Niamh Bhreathnach in designated disadvantaged areas. We will use the advice of the Expert Monitoring Committee to plan expansion of this Programme in consultation with the education partners.  At Primary Level  49.) Labour’s aim is to retain teachers in the system who would otherwise be lost due to the falling number of primary pupils. We are committed to targeting investment where it is needed most:  - in areas of disadvantage,  - to students from disadvantaged backgrounds,  - to students with special needs,  - to students who have learning difficulties for whatever reason.  50.) We aim to strengthen and expand the Breaking the Cycle initiative in disadvantaged areas, in the context of the advice of the Combat Poverty Agency. No class size should be greater than 15 students to 1 teacher to ensure that extra support necessary for students in such areas. Working with parents is an essential part of this programme.  51.) Labour will continue to improve funding for school books for students in need.  52.) We will expand the remedial teaching service to ensure that all pupils have access to a remedial service. We will explore new models of remedial teaching to cater for small schools in rural areas.  53.) Labour established a Psychological Service in primary schools. A comprehensive service, ensuring that every vulnerable student is followed up, requires integration between primary and second level.  54.) Using the demographic dividend as the major funding mechanism, we will fund the creation of a comprehensive, integrated service at both levels. We will provide one psychologist for every 5,000 students.  55.) Our aim is to ensure that there are no students with serious literacy and numeracy problems in early primary education within the next five years.  56.) Labour’s aim is to improve the pupil / teacher ratio in special schools and in special classes in primary schools. We will increase the number of child care assistants to meet the needs of these pupils.  57.) We will provide extra resources to assist special schools and classes to develop links and integration with mainstream schools, especially in areas such as visits, shared time-tabling and integration links.  58.) Each pupil in our primary schools should be assessed by their teachers at the end of first and fifth class in order to identify any special learning needs that may arise. This is an addition to the ordinary assessment which takes place in the school. Assessment data for each student will be recorded on standard student profile cards. The increased psychological and remedial services will assist in the assessment and in addressing any needs which then arise.  59.) Labour is firmly committed to general improvements in primary education. Over the past five years funding for the day to day running of primary schools have increased from £28 per pupil to £45 per pupil and to £75 per pupil in schools designated disadvantaged.  60.) We intend to continue to increase this essential funding for our schools in future years.  61.) Labour will promote choice of school type in primary education at a time when numbers are falling; in particular we will activate the provision that Education Boards may own new school buildings and lease them to different groups of patrons and trustees in order to provide for the educational needs of each region.  At Second Level  62.) Retaining young people in education to the end of senior cycle is a major priority. Our aim is to ensure that 100% of our young people complete second level education.  63.) To support this we will continue to develop the transition year and the new three stream Leaving Certificate, with continual substantial funding for teacher in-career development. Students will be encouraged to follow courses of the highest level indicated by their capacity.  64.) Co-operation among schools will be promoted through the education boards so that each region and each town may offer a full range of the second level schools, one school may offer the Leaving Certificate Vocational programme, another the Leaving Certificate Applied, another the Junior Certificate Elementary programme so that there will be a wide range of choices available in each town to young people. The co-ordination role of the education boards will facilitate this co-operation.  65.) Labour will strengthen the Junior Certificate Elementary Programme and general Junior Certificate Programmes to ensure that no young person drops out of school without qualifications.  66.) We will increase and focus Youthreach places for those who have already left school early. We will ensure that there are enough Youthreach places for all young people who need them and will provide outreach programmes to encourage such young people back into education and employment.  67.) Labour will ensure that each student at second level will have access to the study of a modern European language. We will give special incentives to second level schools to introduce a range of European languages. We will provide specific dedicated funding to in-career development for language teachers and for materials and equipment needed for language teaching.  68.) Recognising that an adequate guidance and counselling service is vital to assist young people to stay in education, Labour will strengthen the guidance provision in our schools in co-operation with the National Centre for Guidance in Education.  69.) We will strengthen the provision of remedial education at second level to provide a continuity of assistance for pupils with learning difficulties from primary to second level schools.  70.) We will encourage the mobility of teachers and students, contact between schools and distance education through the Socrates Programme. We will further expand the European Studies project and North Sough co-operation in education.  71.) We will implement the report of the Steering Group on the funding of schools, so that fair and open common criteria and entitlements will apply to funding of schools in the second level sector.  At Third Level  72.) Labour will increase the number of third level places, with special emphasis on the skills needs of the economy.  73.) The Higher Education Authority and third level institutions will develop links with second level schools so that students from lower socio-economic groups will increase their participation numbers over the next five years.  74.) Our target is to achieve an annual increase in participation of at least 500 students from these groups.  75.) The Higher Education maintenance grants will be extended to students attending PLCs.  76.) Labour proposes to increase maintenance grants at a faster rate than inflation and introduce a special maintenance scheme so that students from lower socio- economic groups will be supported in third level education.  77.) We will extend the remit of the Higher Education Authority to all publicly funded third level colleges.  78.) We will prepare legislation to regulate private commercial colleges whose courses are elegible for State certification, and to guarantee the academic integrity and quality of their courses. We will also prescribe standards for staff qualifications, support services and facilities and protection for the financial investment of students and their parents.  General  Buildings  79.) The elimination of sub-standard schools is a major policy objective. The backlog of projects will be eliminated within five years.  Teaching Profession  80.) Labour will continue to invest at current levels in in-career education of teachers to meet the challenges of new curricula.  81.) We will establish a teacher welfare service to support teachers who are experiencing a range of difficulties within and outside the schools. We will establish a teaching council for all teachers.  Vocational Education Committees  82.) We will work with Vocational Education Committees to strengthen the vocational sector based on the report of the Commission on School Accommodation Needs.  The Inspectorate  83.) Inspectors will support schools in their planning and school inspections will be based on these plans. We will increase the numbers of the inspectorate by 50% on a phased basis mainly by secondment of teachers with recognised competence and commitment to the Inspectorate for specific periods.  Conclusion  84.) Labour’s proposals for lifelong learning and for the evolution of the formal education system are closely linked to our other objectives in this manifesto – the drive for more equality, for social cohesion, for sustained economic development, for the building of a just and caring society.  In the World and in Europe  LABOUR STANDS FOR:  - THE CONTINUATION OF IRELAND’S NEUTRAL STATUS  - OUR COMMITMENT AS A COUNTRY TO UN PEACEKEEPING  - THE PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS  - SUPPORT FOR THOSE SEEKING TO BUILD A JUST WORLD ECONOMIC ORDER IN WHICH THE PEOPLE OF THE DEVELOPING WORLD WOULD BE ENABLED TO ACHIEVE SELF-SUSTAINING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND WOULD BE RELIEVED OF THE CRUSHING BURDEN OF DEBT.  1.) An open and generous Ireland, learning from other people, and contributing to solving human problems. That’s a core value for the great majority of Irish people. It is one we share.  2.) Self-centred isolation, or putting up the shutters, is neither practical nor right. That’s why above all we advocate the continued undertaking by Ireland of a positive role in international relations. Our membership – and the strong role we can play – in international organisation like the United Nations, the European Union, and the Council of Europe are crucially important.  3.) In each of these, Ireland has a voice and a forum to promote both our interests and our values. Labour will always fight for co-operation with other countries in efforts to create a stable framework for international relations. This framework must reflect both the rights of small and large states and must provide for the solution of disputes by peaceful means, rather than by military might.  The Broader World  4.) Labour would not support Ireland’s seeking full membership of the WEU, nor joining NATO. We do believe that there should be serious debate about how Ireland can best contribute our long-standing expertise in areas such as peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance to the cooperative efforts to ensure stability and true security in Europe. We recognise the crucial role of the OSCE in the evolution of pan-European arrangements for security and conflict resolution.  5.) This could involve acceptance of certain appropriate tasks in the context of this country’s role as an observer within the WEU.  6.) It could be a legitimate and proper role for Ireland to participate, in due course, in the pan-European structure of the Partnership for Peace. This has already been joined by other European neutral states such as Switzerland, Austria, Finland and Sweden. The Partnership for Peace is not a military alliance, Ireland would be free like all other countries to negotiate its own terms.  7.) Nuclear disarmament remains a critical element of Irish foreign policy. Labour will vigorously pursue this objective within an overall policy designed to bring about conventional disarmament.  8.) Our aim must be to rid the world of the horror of land mines and chemical weapons, and to control the activities of the armaments industry and of international arms dealers.  9.) The United Nations will remain a cornerstone of Irish foreign policy. Support for effective international action in areas such as disarmament, peacekeeping, development and human rights will be given priority. The UN must be given the resources and political support necessary to cope with the great world problems of economic despair, social injustice and political oppression.  10.) Conflict prevention must be the first step in all confrontations and the mediation capacity of the UN must be strenghtened. Ireland will seek to secure a more representative Security Council and will seek election to the Council in the year 2000.  11.) Irish policy will emphasise the significance of the UN specialist agencies UNICEF, UNHCR and UNDP.  12.) Labour believes that Ireland must continue to play a significant role in peacekeeping. We will support the concept of standby units of military and police for use by the UN. We will also support the strenghtening of the UN’s capacity to direct and manage peacekeeping operations.  13.) Labour favours extension of UN mandates to cover human rights considerations. Ireland has no National Human Rights Institution as recommended by the UN "Paris Principles". Labour proposes the establishment of an authoritative and independent Human Rights Commission at home.  14.) Labour advocates a significant programme of ratification of international convention and relevant UN Resolutions. For example, priorities for ratification would include:  - the UN Resolution on War Crimes Tribunals,  - the UN Convention on elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination,  - the UN Convention against Torture, and  - the Council of Europe’s Children’s Rights Convention.  Irish Aid  15.) We advocate solidarity and partnership at home. There is a matching duty and responsibility to have a coherent and effective Irish policy in relation with developing countries.  16.) In government, Labour has worked to this objective. Our ODA contributions have increased from £40m or 0.16% of GNP in 1992, to an estimated £122m or 0.31% of GNP in 1997.  17.) Development assistance alone is not enough. Policy must take into account human rights, the role of women and children, environment issues, trade (in particular the arms trade), and debt levels. Our policies will stress the need to deal with the debt problem, to cope effectively with humanitarian issues and disaster relief and to provide for a constructive role for NGOs in policy development.  18.) We reiterate our commitment to achievement of the UN ODA target of 0.7% of GNP by systematic annual increases in funding of both multilateral activities and Irish initiatives in the areas of development and humanitarian relief.  19.) To this end, Labour’s objectives are:  - To increase Irish Aid by 0.05% of GNP per annum until the UN target is reached.  - To put the Bilateral Programme on a multi-annual funding basis to ensure continuity and proper development.  - To work towards an effective mechanism for debt relief for the poorest countries.  - To work within the EU for improved trade arrangements for developing countries.  - To continue to support the UN development agencies while also seeking to contribute to their reform.  The European Union  20.) Together with our sister parties in the European Union, Labour will continue to work for peace, prosperity, security, economic development, social inclusion and social justice.  21.) This will be the case whether the policies relate to developments within the Union, the challenges of enlargement, relations with other states or cooperation with developing countries.  22.) At present, the extent of long-term unemployment and poverty in Europe, the need for security both externally and internally in the fight against crime and drug abuse, and the need for a successful outcome to the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) are key issues.  23.) We support:  - EU policies designed to achieve a high level of employment while protecting workers’ rights.  - Union action against poverty and social exclusion.  - Co-ordinated action against drugs and crime.  - Progress towards Economic and Monetary Union with Ireland qualifying and willing to join the single currency at its inception.  - Evolution of the Cohesion and Structural Funds in ways which will continue to support necessary development in Ireland while meeting the challenge of enlargement.  24.) There is no agreed or wide ranging vision, comparable to the single market project or EMU, driving the evolution of a common social policy within the EU. Yet some 50 million European citizens live in poverty. In the Union there are some 18 million people unemployed – oh whom half are long-term unemployed.  25.) It is critical that the benefits of the European Union reach those who are marginalised and socially excluded. Flows of funds from EU programmes must be channelled to areas of disadvantage and to people in poverty.  26.) While we accept that national governments are likely to maintain primary responsibility, Labour will press for EU initiatives to supplement national programmes in this area.  27.) In the context of IGC negotiations, Labour will continue to press for the following:  - Policies for employment must be given a new status in the Treaty.  - There must be a Treaty change to strengthen institutional efforts to fight social exclusion across all the activities of the Union.  - The Treaty change already proposed by the Irish Presidency to fight discrimination on a wide range of grounds, including sex, sexual orientation, race and disability, must be maintained.  28.) EMU and the associated Stability and Growth Pact will bring many benefits if they work effectively. But they will not of themselves ensure a serious reduction of long-term unemployment, balanced economic development or genuine social inclusion throughout the Union. There is need and scope for additional radical measures both at Union and national level.  29.) The outcome of the IGC must lay special emphasis on:  - The preservation of peace and stability across the continent.  - The need to increase the efficiency, equity, transparency and accountability of all EU structures, and of all EU actions.  - The need to address the issues of most concern to citizens: employment, poverty, equality, crime and drugs.  30.) We will argue strongly for the maintenance of the institutional balance which has served the Union so well. We must avoid any tendency to create a ‘core’ of larger, more powerful states and to marginalise the smaller members.  31.) Labour insists that the future European Union must retain the fundamental characteristics of equality of all member states and institutional balance, including the rotating Presidency. There must be no ‘inner groups’ or ‘large state directorate’ based on trends such as flexibility. There must be no second-class members.  32.) We will oppose any suggestion that smaller member states should lose the automatic right to nominate a member of the European Commission.  33.) We welcome the prospect of EU enlargement for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Enlargement holds out the prospect of genuinely united Europe after the many divisions of the past century. However, labour also insists that the entry terms for the long list of applicants must be negotiated so as to protect Ireland’s legitimate agricultural and economic interests. Enlargement must not become an excuse for dilution of the Union’s institutional structures. If properly planned and negotiated it will bring many benefits in terms of security and stability and will contribute to economic advance in the long-term.  34.) We will also seek to develop an enhanced role for the Council of Europe, particularly in strenghtening democracy and human rights in the Central and Eastern European countries. We will build on Ireland’s present level of involvement in the activities of the Council.  Citizenship & Immigration  35.) Large numbers of Irish people have been forced over the years to leave this country and seek to build new lives overseas. Their experience above all has shaped our policies under this heading.  36.) With increasing population movement throughout Europe, and increasing prosperity in Ireland, this country could well become a more attractive destination for non-nationals seeking residence and employment here, at every level of the socio-economic scale. Labour believes that our citizenship and immigration laws must now be reviewed comprehensively.  37.) We will continue the work started in 1992 in formulating for Ireland a proper legal framework governing rights of entry, of residence (short and long term) and of access to opportunities to work for citizens of non-EU states. Clear and transparent criteria will be set out in statute as a replacement for the existing ad hoc, discretionary administrative arrangements. This legislation will repeal and replace the Aliens Act of 1935.  38.) Specific issues relating to asylum and the granting of refugee status to those escaping persecution will be governed by the Refugee Act which was steered through the Oireachtas by Joan Burton.  39.) We believe also that there is a strong case for our laws on non-nationals to be administered by a separate IMMIGRATION AUTHORITY. The Minister and the Department of Justice would retain responsibility of overall policy development, analysis and review and for deciding on issues relating to national security.  40.) The day-to-day administration of the laws and regulations would be devolved to the Authority, a body which would have independent corporate status with outside membership included on its Board. The Authority would also administer the law on naturalisation.  41.) It is in the interests of both Ireland and the United Kingdom that the common travel area should remain. We will work towards reconciling this priority with the emerging freedoms and removal of regulations on travel and access inside the European Union.  A Better Way of Doing Things  Introduction  1.) Our objectives are these:  - To enhance the quality of our democracy,  - To provide opportunities for greater participation by local communities,  - To ensure that the political system and the public service is responsive to the needs of all citizens, including those who are not normally in a position to assert their rights.  2.) This means that the operation of our Constitution should be under continuous scrutiny. So should the structures of government and the public service. The way courts are run, the way the Oireachtas and local government performs – all these are areas where we should be constantly assessing whether changes or reforms are desirable or necessary.  The Constitution  3.) The Report of the Constitution Review Group and its examination by an all-Party Committee of the Oireachtas will be of considerable political and civic importance in the lifetime of the next Government.  4.) The first report of the committee, dealing with the Presidency, local government, the constitutionality of Bills and the position of women in the home has recently been published. We support many of its proposals for change.  5.) In particular we support, and will propose for adoption by way of constitutional amendment, the reformulation of the Constitution in gender neutral language (our President is constitutionally a man).  6.) The outdated reference in Article 41.2 to woman’s "life within the home" should be replaced by a provision along the following lines: "The State recognises that home and family life gives to society a support without which the common good cannot be achieved. The State shall endeavour to support persons caring for others within the home".  7.) Other amendments, some minor and some of significance, will emerge from the review process. Labour will participate fully in this work.  8.) The Review Group Report recommended in general against expanded provisions setting out social and economic rights in a constitutional context. It rejected the argument that at constitutional level the State should guarantee a general – and legally enforceable – right to freedom from poverty and social exclusion, as a counterweight to economic inequality. It was argued that it would be "a distortion of democracy to transfer decisions on major issues of policy and practicality from the Government and the Oireachtas, elected to represent the people, and do their will, to an unelected judiciary". In other words, absolute personal rights in the Constitution in relation to economic or social objectives would leave the Oireachtas with no option but to discharge the cost.  9. ) In this Manifesto, Labour has been arguing the merits of social cohesion, and for expanding and working on the concept of a Social Guarantee. We believe that the inclusion of some social and economic rights in the Constitution is both politically practicable and legally feasible and should be a high priority for work by an Oireachtas Committee in the future.  10.) Two examples of this approach can be taken from the work of the Review Group itself. The first recognises the status of carers within the home and pledges the State to endeavour to support such activity. Such a pledge, which is socio-economic rather than of a fundamental human rights nature, would be enforceable in an appropriate case.  11.) The second example comes from the Review Group’s proposals to replace Article 42.4, dealing with free primary education. The Group proposes to expand this so as to include also a right to free secondary education.  12.) Both these examples show that socio-economic rights need to be open-ended or rob the Government and Oireachtas entirely of discretion asto the manner in which they are observed and vindicated. It is practical, if the political will is there, to reconcile two essential requirements: firstly, to state the right and, secondly, to express it so as to ensure that it is not stated in an unrealistic and absolute way.  13.) Labour proposes, therefore, that the section on fundamental rights in our Constitution should be evaluated carefully with a view to including an expanded list of social and economic rights. As well as the right to education and the rights of carers within the home, these could include, for example:  - Freedom from hunger  - The right to decent housing and health care  - Social protection for the elderly and others in situations of economic dependence.  14.) There would be a constitutional guarantee of a minimum level of universal entitlement to such rights, but the rights would, of necessity, be drafted with qualifications relating to prevailing resources and standards.  15.) Labour agrees with the Review Group that, in any programme of constitutional amendment, opportunity should be taken to spell out explicitly in the Constitution those unenumerated rights which the courts have discovered to be implicit in the text of the Constitution and which they seek to protect. These would include:  - The right to marry and found a family;  - The right to travel within and outside the State;  - The right to bodily integrity;  - The right to communicate;  - The right of access to the courts;  - The right to fair procedures;  - The right to criminal and civil legal aid; and  - The right to privacy.  16.) We also support the Group`s recommendation that, in seeking to improve and update the fundamental human rights Articles of the Constitution, we should draw on the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (and other human rights conventions to which Ireland is a party) where:  - An internationally recognised right is not expressly protected by our Constitution,  - The standard of protection of such a right is superior to that guaranteed by the Constitution, or  - The wording of a clause of the Constitution protecting such a right might be improved.  17.) Labour is fully committed to removing the ban on revealing Cabinet discussions, in clearly defined circumstances where the public interest is at stake.  18.) The qualifying age for voters is now 18 years. However, the minimum qualifying age for membership of the Dáil remains at 21 years. Labour proposes that the minimum qualifying age for both voting and membership of the Dáil should be similar, i.e., 18 years.  19.) We will oppose a further constitutional referendum on the abortion issue.  Human Rights  20.) The promotion and vindication of human rights in the first duty of Government, Labour is committed to ensuring that full effect is given in Irish law to international human rights agreements to which Ireland is a party. These human rights agreements include the U.N.Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.  21.) We are also committed to the progressive implementation of Council of Europe and United Nations Conventions which Ireland has not yet ratified or to which we have entered reservations.  22.) We will establish a independent HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION whose primary function would be systematically to:  - Review generally the compliance by the State with the international human rights agreements to which it is party;  - To examine the merits of incorporating such agreements directly into domestic law;  - Examine any reservations entered by Ireland to such agreements and make proposals for the withdrawal of such reservations where appropriate;  - Examine and make proposals for the ratification of, or accession to, international human rights agreements to which Ireland is not yet a party;  - Examine and report as to whether the legislative and administrative measures required for the co-ordinated implementation of these proposals are being put in place by the Oireachtas and Government.  23.) The Commission would have the brief of promoting public and official awareness of human rights and the State’s international commitments in this area. It would examine individual complaints with a view to assisting complainants in securing their rights.  Access to Law  24.) No matter how much provision is made for substantive rights, including equality of rights, there remain many who do not know how, or cannot afford, to assert them. As the Constitutional Review Group pointed out, lack of finance, insufficient knowledge and the social and cultural gaps which exist between lawyer and client all contribute to the unequal treatment suffered by those living in areas of disadvantage.  25.) Labour in Government placed the Legal Aid Board on a permanent statutory footing and a sound financial base. We are committed to increasing its services.  26.) We will also place the ad hoc scheme of legal aid administered by the Attorney General’s Office on a statutory basis and transfer responsibility for its operations to the Legal Aid Board. The scheme is at present an informal one whereby the Attorney General, according to no fixed criteria, may undertake to a court in advance to pay the costs of an impecunious applicant who wishes to take certain types of action against the State in circumstances not covered by the Legal Aid Act. There is no set means test under which the scheme operates.  27.) But access to law means more than just access to a lawyer. It means that the law itself – in the form of Acts of t he Oireachtas – must be available, reasonably comprehensible and written, as far as possible, in plain English. There are many cases in which you should not need a lawyer to find out what the rules are in a particular area. As matters stand, it takes most lawyers unnecessary time to track down the parent Act, the several amending Acts and then the dozens of statutory instruments made under each piece of legislation. Pre 1922 statutes – many of which are still in force in the Republic – are no longer even available for sale in the Government Publications Sales Office.  28.) We are committed to the consolidation of all major areas of law (planning, family, sexual offences, etc.) into one single statute for each subject. To that end, we will re-establish the post of Director of Statute Law Reform and Consolidation – a position which has lain vacant for 20 years. We will charge the Director, with the aid of information technology, with the basic task of reducing the statute roll to modern and manageable proportions.  29.) We will also commission the advice of the Law Reform Commission on the use of plain language and syntax in the law and we will implement that advice.  Letting in the Light  30.) Full access to public information is a key for active citizenship. Our aim is to:  - Further develop Citizen’s Information Centres with trained staff.  - Promote an active public information policy, and ensure the widest possible access to information under Freedom of Information.  - Use modern technology to develop citizens’ information access points through public libraries and public offices  31.) Labour supports the conclusions and recommendations of the Dáil Committee on Security and Legislation, set out in its review of the Official Secrets Act reported in January this year. In particular, we agree that the 1963 Act should be repealed at the earliest possible date and replaced by criminal sanctions which apply only in relation to:  - espionage, or  - unauthorised disclosure of specific categories of information, the disclosure of which is calculated to cause serious harm to the national interests.  32.) The Labour Party in Government has already delivered on two key issues-enactment of Freedom of Information legislation and the lifting of the Section 31 ban which applied both to RTE and to commercial broadcasters.  33.) Other areas for legislative action to enhance citizenship and access to information include contempt of court laws, extension of the Archive Act to the wider public service, widening the Data Protection Act, broadening citizen’s rights of access to the Ombudsman, and removing exemptions in the Statutory Instruments Act.  34.) We will examine, as a package, the possible introduction of privacy protection legislation, and reform of the laws of defamation. In doing so we will take into account the work of the Law Reform Commission and the recommendations of the Commission on the Newspaper Industry, as a linked package of reform.  35.) Labour supports giving statutory recognition to the journalist’s duty to protect his or her sources before a court of law but not as an absolute entitlement.Not other profession, including the legal profession, has such an absolute privilege. We would support the minority view set out in a Report of the Law Reform Commission on Contempt of Court, where it is recommended that a court should not be permitted to order a witness to disclose a confidential source of information – even where such evidence is clearly relevant and admissible – unless obtaining that evidence is clearly necessary:  - to prevent injustice (such as, for example, to prevent the conviction of someone wrongly accused),  - in the interests of national security, or  - to prevent disorder of crime (i.e., where receiving such evidence would assist in preventing the commission of a future criminal offence).  Government & Public Service  36.) The process of reform of public administration in Ireland has been hugely advanced in recent years. In 1993, Labour was instrumental in pioneering a number of new government departments – Equality & Law Reform, Enterprise & Employment, Art, Culture & the Gaeltacht, and Tourism & Trade. In the main, these innovations have worked extremely well in advancing reforms, in providing new energy and focus, and in delivering better services.  37.) As well, key legislation elements of the reform agenda are either completed or close to completion; for example, the Freedom of Information Act, Ethics in Public Office Act, Privilege and Compellability measures to enhance the work of Oireachtas Committees, and the proposals on Cabinet Confidentiality.  38.) The Strategic Management Initiative (SMI) process was launched last year. Its broad object is to renew and reform, with the cooperation of employees and their trade unions, the management performance and efficiency of the public service to ensure a better delivery of services to the public.  39.)Labour initiated many of these reforms, and supported others. In our view, it is important to view public service reforms as being based on citizens’ entitlements – for example, to quality service delivery. We are dealing in the case of many services with CITIZENS’ rights, not with "customers" or "clients" as in a commercial market place. The underlying philosophy of the providers should reflect this.  40.) We believe that there can be an improved role for Ministers of State. Their responsibilities must be made specific, and their authority must accurately reflect the span of their mandates – such as the Minister for Children, for instance, who was appointed in Education, Health, and Justice.  41.) On this basis, labour believes that there is a strong case for re-designing the responsibilities of some Ministers of State, and for the appointment of office-holders (within the existing complement), to ensure progress is made in the following new areas of responsibility:  - Implementation of Civil Service Reform (SMI)  - Older People  - People with Disabilities  - Consumers  - Local Government Reform and Renewal  Reforming the Civil Service  42.) Much of the framework for reform is now in place. Radical and fundamental change in principles, practices and culture of the way public business is done must now be realised. The scale and nature of the change required is heavily dependent on strong political ownership. Failure by the political system to recognise and own this reform programme would damage and impair its implementation.  43.) There are a number of key requirements.  44.) Firstly such administrative change requires a strong political champion to generate and sustain the support. Otherwise the natural instinct of any bureaucratic system towards inertia, and assistance from different interests, will combine to delay and thwart change.  45.) Secondly, resources must be devoted to making the change programme come about. This will not happen without political commitment. The scale of the changes to be addressed will require political choices about redeployment of resources. It would be unrealistic to expect civil servants to pursue a difficult reform programme in the teeth of a political system wedded to an entirely different agenda.  46.) An increased emphasis on human resource management, and enhanced training arrangements, are both essential. New structures may be required to deal with the human resources aspect of public service reform. This will have to be handed with sensitivity and care in a spirit of partnership.  The Defence Forces – An Agenda for Change  47.) The Labour Party recognises the valuable and unselfish service given to the State by men and women in the Defence Forces and Civil Defence, and acknowledges the major contribution of the Defence Forces to international peace-keeping.  48.) Labour believes that a White Paper on all aspects of Defence and Civil Defence, should be prepared within one year. It should set out the challenges and issues, including manpower and recruitment, which face the Defence Forces well into the next century. Following the White Paper, a comprehensive Defence Bill would be developed and published.  49.) We advocate:  - Planned and orderly recruitment in each of the next three years, with an upper age limit of 23 and special recognition for services in the FCA/SM.  - The enhancement of opportunities for commissions to be awarded to suitable Non-Commissioned Officers, and all promotions, whether at NCO or officer rank, Permanent Defence Forces or Reserve, to be filled by competitive interview.  - A greater emphasis, involving the deepening of the major consultation already underway on the role of the Reserve in the wider Defence Forces with a focus on full time professional training, especially in the FCA and Slua Muirí.  - The upgrading of selected barracks as training depots for formations up to Brigade Level, for both regular and reserve training.  50.) In addition, Labour proposes that serious consideration should be given to the establishment by statute of a civilian Inspector General of the Defence Forces to report annually to the Ministers and the Oireachtas on how the Defence Forces are achieving their mission. The Inspector General could also act as a Defence Forces Ombudsman in relation to redress of wrong cases.  Local Government  51.) Brendan Howlin, some months ago, announced a wide-ranging programme for reform and renewal of local government. Such renewal, if it is to be real and lasting, must come to a significant extent from the local government level itself: There must be self-renewal.  52.) Labour’s programme of local government reform is underpinned by the following core principles.  ENHANCING LOCAL DEMOCRACY BY ENSURING THAT:  - local communities and their representatives have a real say in the delivery of the full range of public services locally;  - new forms of participation by local communities in the decision-making processes of local authorities are developed;  - a strengthened role for councillors in running local councils emerges, and  - demarcation between town and country authorities are broken down.  SERVING LOCAL PEOPLE BETTER THROUGH:  - a focus on the needs of the customer,  - timely delivery of services of high quality, measured against performance indicators,  - personnel training and development in customer care,  - rigorous but streamlined operation of the various regulatory controls, and  - more openness and transparency in decision-making in local authorities.  DEVELOPING EFFICIENCY THROUGH:  - a modern and progressive financial accounting system with an increased emphasis on costing services,  - development of performance and financial indicators and value for money audit,  - development of strategic management,  - development of partnership between central and local authorities, and between local authorities and other local organisations, and  - effective use of information technology on a planned basis.  53.) The process of renewal has already started. Local government charges for domestic water supply and sewerage facilities have been abolished and the authorities have been provided, by way of motor taxation, with a source of revenue with in-built buoyancy and local discretion.  54.) Further specific steps to be taken will include the following:  - Formal recognition of the status and function of local government will be incorporated into the Constitution.  - Local government will be represented on the National Economic and Social Council.  - Democratically-elected councillors will have an enhanced role:  - in ensuring the integration of local government with other local development organisations and public services delivered locally,  - in the strategic management of the delivery of services by their councils, through Strategic Policy Committees on which outside local interests will be represented,  - by the establishment of Community and Enterprise Development Groups, consisting of a partnership between elected councillors and representatives drawn from local development bodies,  - by the creation of structured consultation arrangements to ensure greater liaison between Gardaí and local authorities, and  - by the regular attendance of personnel of State agencies at local authorities meetings, to discuss the policies being pursued locally by their agencies.  55.) The Dublin and Mid-East regional authorities will be assigned a role in drawing up land use planning guidelines for the entire greater Dublin area, which will have to be respected by the local authorities in that area when considering development plans. This will be extended to other parts of the country as necessary.  The National Economic & Social Council  and the National Economic & Social Forum  56.) The NESC and NESF both fulfil important complementary roles in the process of economic and social policy formation, and in fostering quality dialogue in the partnership context. The role of the NESF, as an independent body developing innovative economic and social policy initiatives, will be strengthened and enhanced.  57.) For the future, Labour proposes that:  - The two organisations should have joint administrative and research capacities.  - NESF should seek to develop a framework for consultation in the regions with community groups, local authorities, social partners and others in working through its proposals.  - NESF, as a part of a revised physical planning process, following a process of consultation and research should make recommendations to government regarding growth centres for the country as a whole.  SUMMARY OF MAIN PROPOSALS  VISION AND CHALLENGES  1.) Our priorities are:  permanent peace in Northern Ireland based on an inclusive settlement rooted in consent;  a wider sharing of the benefits of growth;  an intensified fight against poverty and long-term unemployment;  effective tackling of crime and of its causes.  2.) We have other major tasks of economic management, tax reform, education, public service reform, environmental enhancement, cultural development and strenghtening our role in Europe and the world. And we have unfinished business in key areas of social reform.  3.) Major challenges still remain to be confronted:  The breakdown of the IRA cease-fire shattered hopes. It means that efforts must be redoubled to achieve peace and reconciliation.  Long-term unemployment remains a social and economic challenge that demands radical policies.  Serious crime demands strategies which balance tough measures against the criminal, and targeted actions to tackle the causes – drugs and poverty.  4.) We will be campaigning in this election as part of an out-going Government. When the election is over, we will sit down with our partners and negotiate an agreed programme for the next five years. In that sense, this Manifesto is the set of proposals that we will bring to those negotiations.  5.) We want to listen. We face a period of exciting change, and many challenges. We are setting out our stall – the building blocks to construct an ever more confident, just, inclusive and tolerant Ireland.  6.) And we do it with confidence. The track record of the last four years, the hope for the future. Visions and challenges, combined with practical policies. A slate of candidates that is second to none. Deep roots in the community, and a total commitment to its future. That’s Labour’s promise.  Managing a Growing Economy  7.) We are going to build on the successes of the last four years – almost 200,000 net new jobs and national wealth up by over a fifth – through:  prudent management of the public finances;  a partnership approach to the economy and social policy;  more enterprise, more innovation and more investment in education and skills development;  a shared discipline and fairness.  8.) There will be new challenges – EMU and the re-negotiation of the Structural Funds.  Spending and Taxes  9.) We need to tackle the problems of poverty and social deprivation. We need quality health and education services.  We reject the ideology that public spending is too high. In fact, public expenditure in Ireland is relatively low by EU standards.  10.) Our approach is to seek a fair balance between public spending and what is taken from the pay packet in taxes.  11.) We have to be prudent:  to plan for surpluses on our current budget as at present;  to use that money for essential capital investment – in infrastructure, in supports for the different economic sectors  and in necessary social investment in housing, schools and hospitals;  to keep our national borrowing within limits sustainable inside EMU.  Side by Side with that, we plan to reduce what the Government takes in tax from your pay packet: from 27p now to 22p for the single person, and from 20p to 14p for the married person on average earnings.  People on low wages will benefit even more – indeed everyone will gain from Labour’s tax proposals. Before the end of 5 years, no single person on the average wage will pay the higher rate of tax.  Work and Enterprise  12.) Labour is the party of work and the party of enterprise. We advocate:  Practical measures to get to a national minimum wage.  Strengthened partnership structures at the level of the individual firm.  Strong support for our State-sponsored companies and "stake-holding" for employees in them  through partnerships and share-participation schemes.  A major review of key aspects of the financial system.  Continued support for industry, tourism, agriculture, services industry, forestry, fishing and our marine sector through prudent use of Structural Funds, a good corporation tax system and appropriate supports from State agencies when necessary.  Cohesion Through Partnership  13.) We fully support Partnership 2000, and a determined attack against poverty through the National Anti-Poverty Strategy. We will tackle the major problems of educational disadvantage, long-term unemployment and income inadequacy.  14.) As specific measures for families, and especially mothers, we aim to:  Increase child benefit further for mothers, as we have in the last four years.  Introduce a double monthly payment at times when need will generally increase – August and  December – to cater for children going back to school, and for Christmas.  Significantly expand child care facilities in the community, to a nation-wide service.  Social Guarantee  15.) An abundant economy must be able to accommodate a society where choices are made, and rights are exercised, on the basis of hope and dignity, and not on the basis of dependence or charity.  16.) In the short to medium term, we propose to apply the Social Guarantee to three groups of people:  Young people from 18 to 21;  People with a disability; and  People who are elderly.  17.) Our objective is that every young person will have a worthwile offer of education, training, conventional employment or community employment. As places become available this will involve raising the age limit for unemployment assistance.  Our aim is to ensure that 100% of our young people complete second level education. When they do, the options open to them should include:  going on to third level;  taking up training, traineeships, or apprenticeships;  getting conventional paid employment;  taking up self-employment;  doing combined training/work or  working in their community for pay.  18.) For older people, a Social Guarantee would aim to ensure:  Counselling and retirement preparation services are readily available.  Accommodation needs are fully met;  No elderly person would be forced to live in isolation from the community.  No elderly person would live in fear, or be forced to hide modest assets through fear of excessive  claw-back by the State.  Illness would not lead to the elimination of life-savings.  Recovery from illness would be supported, at home when possible or through decent recuperation facilities.  We are proposing that a Minister of State would be appointed to the Departments of Equality and Law Reform, Health and Social Welfare in the next Government, with specific responsibility for further developing the Social Guarantee for Older People.  19.) A Social Guarantee for People with Disabilities would seek to ensure that, from the moment of birth, diagnosis, or onset of the disability, the following services would be guaranteed:  Diagnosis and assessment.  Counselling (including counselling for carers where necessary).  A full range of medical services as required.  Education and training based on the right of the individual to aspire to his or her full potential, and to live and work in mainstream society.  Open, supported or sheltered employment as appropriate, in a decent environment and within  reasonable access from home.  Residential care when needed, and the guarantee of a home life in proper and supportive  surroundings.  Respite care when required.  Accessible public transport.  20.) In addition, we will ensure:  The implementation of the Report on Violence against Women.  That victims of Hepatitis C are provided with a comprehensive health care package and support services.  That GMS services are extended as rapidly as possible to younger children.  That hospital waiting lists continue to be tackled, by ensuring that levels of investment in this initiative remain a priority, and by setting out maximum waiting times for different treatments.  That there will be an effective drug treatment service which will offer a broad range of options to addicts according to their needs.  That there will be a gender equality policy in all areas of education policy, and the continued enforcement of the gender balance policy for state boards and agencies.  That a continual programme of family law reform, including placing the Family Mediation Service on a statutory basis, will remain a priority.  That a comprehensive package of actions and services in response to the Report of the Task Force on the Travelling Community is implemented.  That there will be an increased supply of housing to meet rising demand without placing undue pressure on the environment.  That all Local Authorities will draw up a five-year energy plan providing for improved insulation and ventilation and for the provision of full central heating in all local authority houses.  That an Ombudsman for children will be appointed.  That a Green Paper on basic income, involving full and open consultation, will be published within one year.  A Safer Place to Live  21.) Crime divides societies. It damages the quality of life of those who feel threatened by it and can often make them retreat from the wider communities in which they live. To be effective, we require a two pronged approach. We need to deal with existing crime in a resolute and determined fashion.  22.) But, as importantly, we need to tackle now the conditions that cause the crime of the future.  23.) THE GARDAÍ.  We propose the establishment of a Commission on Policing to forge a modern role for the police force. The Commission should involve the Gardaí themselves, community and voluntary groups, residents’ groups, appropriate experts and other interested parties. Issues to be addressed include:  the merits of establishing an independent police authority;  the relationship between the Gardaí, the Oireachtas and local authorities;  internal Garda management structures;  the role and responsibility of the individual member of the force;  the appropriate functions for civilian staff;  the interaction between Gardaí and other agencies such as Customs and Revenue;  Garda/Community relations (including the role of community policing);  the role of specialist units within the Gardaí, and  the potential for part-time policing.  24.) TACKLING CAUSES OF CRIME  We advocate the following specific policies:  Community-based support for families in disadvantaged areas, specially targeted at those families whose needs have not been met by the education system;  Community-based high quality pre-school facilities, similarly targeted.  A revamping of the School Attendance Service to become an Education Welfare service.  Financial support for attendance at post-Leaving Certificate Courses.  25.) DRUGS  The fight against drugs is both essential for the overall welfare of society and a key component in the task of combating and preventing crime. There are three key elements:  policies aimed at supply reduction;  policies aimed at demand reduction;  proper treatment facilities.  In reducing the demand for the drugs, school programmes, the provision for parental education, the work of Community Drugs Teams and training in community leadership in enhancing the role of estate management in a community based response to drugs are essential.  26.) THE PROSECUTION OF CRIME  We propose amalgamating the DPP’s Office and the Chief State Solicitor into an efficient Unified Prosecution Service, with direct Information Technology contact with the Gardaí.  The prosecution of drugs-related offences will be fast-tracked by giving them priority in the Prosecution Service.  The necessary support services including the Garda Forensic Unit will be upgraded.  The need for preliminary investigations of all charges in the District Court should be re-examined; some offences could be designated as going straight to trial.  The court system should care with the Gardaí and the prisons an extensive information technology facility whereby detailed information would be available on warrants issued, failure to turn up for trial and related matters.  27.) PRISONS.  More prison places are needed, both to accommodate additional prisoners and to improve conditions.  Consideration will be given to the establishment of a district court within Mountjoy itself, to minimise transmission of drugs.  The relevant health board in each case should be given the responsibility for developing health care strategies within the prisons.  The choice between prison and payment of a fine will not rest with the convicted person; the appropriate penalty should be decided by the courts.  Offenders assessed as suitable for transfers to "open" prisons, where they would enjoy a higher rate of remission of sentence, will not be allowed to refuse to take up such a transfer in the knowledge that, by remaining in Mountjoy, they are likely to be released much sooner, for reasons of overcrowding.  Offenders should serve out their sentences in the institution to which the authorities wish to send them.  We support the establishment by statute of an independent Prisons Agency with the function of managing prisons coherently and in a planned and effective manner.  We also support the establishment of an independent Inspector of Prisons.  28.) SENTENCING AND PROBATION.  We support the establishment by statute of an independent Parole Board.  Sentencing policy and the desirable duration of sentences will be urgently addressed in a Sentencing Bill.  Community service orders should be made to the greatest extent possible.  Unsupervised early releases should be ended as quickly as practical.  The Probation Service should be the primary target for additional resources in the area of sentencing.  29.) VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN.  Labour will implement the recommendations of the Task Force on Violence Against Women.  We will ensure there is a proper network of services for women and their children.  We will put in place treatment programmes for men which confront the root causes of abuse.  We will ensure the justice system will treat a violent assault on a woman by someone she knows as seriously as a violent attack on her from a stranger.  30.) VICTIMS OF CRIME.  A case management system will be introduces for the purpose of keeping victims informed as to the stage in the criminal justice process which their case has reached.  Additional funding for the work of the Irish Association for Victim Support will be allocated.  A court accompaniment service to provide assurance and information for victims facing unfamiliar and intimidating court surroundings will be introduced on a pilot basis.  Labour will examine carefully the issue of ensuring victim rights to legal advice or representation in certain situations.  A Better Place to Live and Work  31.) Ireland is now a booming economy. That means it is even more necessary that we should give increased attention to the quality of life; the type of environment that is evolving; and the inclusion of all citizens and communities in the sustainable and balanced development of our country. To meet these objectives, we popose:  32.) PHYSICAL PLANNING  A National Convention on Planning and Development.  A sustainable balance between rural and urban development.  An integrated approach to local, regional and national planning, taking account of land use policy, road networks and the railways, industrial development, housing needs and population growth, tourism, forestry and agriculture.  A new public consultation procedure for local plans – greater community involvement.  Reform in the procedure for Environmental Impact Assessments and better co-ordination between physical planning and environmental pro ection.  Pursuit of the goals of decommissioning Magnox reactors in the UK, and the threat to Ireland from the storage of highly active liquid waste in tanks at Sellafield.  33.) TRANSPORT  Increase the availability of rural public transport services.  Complete all three light rail lines in Dublin (LUAS), extend the DART north and south, and commuter services westwards.  Plan for more quality bus corridors and develop facilities for cycling as an option.  Increase investment in primary and secondary roads, and get and keep county roads up to standard.  34.) SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT  Implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy across the economic sectors, an in relation to water resources, landscape and nature, waste management and air quality.  35.) FOOD SAFETY AND CONSUMERS  A central food safety laboratory.  Better enforcement of food standards.  More testing for drug residues in animals, and better controls on the use of fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides.  Comprehensive labelling information on foods.  A licensing system for genetically engineered materials on foods.  Arts, Culture, Heritage  36.) The Arts Plan will be completed.  Work on the regional network of theatres, art galleries, museums and art centres at thirty locations throughout the country will be completed by 1999.  The initial success of Teilifís na Gaeilge will be built on, and further initiatives taken to foster and develop the use of Irish.  RTE will be strenghtened legally and financially as the national broadcaster. We will set up by statute a  Broadcasting Commission along the lines published by Michael D. Higgins.  We will sponsor legislation to establish Natural Heritage Areas throughout the country.  A Music Board will be established in partnership with the industry to provide supports for developmental projects.  At present about 0.9% of public expenditure is allocated for cultural purposes. Labour proposes to raise this steadily.  A Lifetime of Learning  37.) THE INFORMATION AGE  We will set a target of universal IT literacy, and achieve it through: implementing the Schools Information Technology 2000 Programme thereby achieving a major leap in the provision of Information Technology in our schools; training programmes for teachers in the skills necessary to use the Internet and other new technologies in agreement with the parties concerned; installing the Internet in our public libraries; taking advantage of the new Freedom of Information Act to open access to all forms of Governmen publications.  38.) THE EDUCATION SYSTEM  We believe that the educational system is the key to eliminating disadvantage throughout society.  As part of a comprehensive approach:  Through the Education Boards, Labour will empower local communities within the regions. This will be staggering change in the way education is planned.  We will continue to support and expand the Early Start Pre-school Programme, and the Breaking the Cycle Primary School Programme.  Other successful measures such as Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS), and the Adult Literacy Community Education Scheme will be enhanced.  Labour will continue to improve the teacher/pupil ratio, especially in special schools and classes.  We will develop an integrated professional psychological service for primary and secondary schools, and will appoint one psychologist for every 5,000 students.  We will expand the remedial teaching service.  We will ensure that every student will have access to the study of a modern European language.  We will encourage all students to follow courses of the highest level indicated by their capacity.  We will aim to ensure that no young person drops out of school without qualifications. We will increase and focus  Youthreach places for those who have already left school early.  We will increase maintenance grants at a faster rate than inflation and introduce a special maintenance scheme so that students from lower economic groups will be supported and encouraged in third level education.  We will extend Higher Education maintenance grants to PLC students.  We will prepare legislation to regulate private commercial colleges.  In the World and in Europe  39.) The cornerstones of our approach to foreign policy are these:  We advocate a positive foreign policy based on our membership of international organisation.  We will uphold Ireland’s neutral status and will not support seeking full membership of the WEU nor will we join NATO.  Ireland could undertake certain tasks related to its observer status in WEU and could legitimately participate in the Partnership for Peace (PfP), already joined by the other European neutrals. The PfP is not a military alliance and Ireland would be free to negotiate its own terms for participation.  We will promote policies designed to achieve total nuclear disarmament, enhance conventional disarmament, rid the world of landmines and chemical weapons and curtail international arms trading. We will establish an authoritative and independent Irish Human Rights Commission, and a programme of ratification of relevant international conventions.  40.) With Labour in Government Official Development Assistance (ODA) has increased from £40 million in 1992 to £122 million or 0.31% of GNP in 1997. We will increase ODA by 0.05% of GNP each year until the UN target of 0.7% of GNP is reached. Ireland will work for an effective mechanism to deal with the debt crisis of the poorest countries.  41.) We will work for the development and enlargement of the European Union along lines designed to deal with the challenges of long-term unemployment, poverty, security and stability, the fight against crime and drug abuse and a successful outcome to the Intergovernmental Conference.  42.) Ireland will seek policies which can achieve high levels of employment while protecting the rights of workers. Progress must be made towards a successful launch of EMU and the reform of the Structural Funds must be achieved in a balanced and equitable fashion.  43.) In the context of the IGC, Labour is pressing for:  A specific Employment Chapter in the Treaty.  A commitment to combat Social Exclusion.  Treaty changes to fight discrimination of all kinds.  We will seek to ensure that the Union’s institutional balance is maintained and that each Member State retains its right to nominate a member of the European Commission.  44.) We are committed to the creation of a new and effective regime in Ireland for Citizenship and Immigration. A proper legal framework must be set down.  We favour the establishment of an independent Immigration Authority which would also have responsibility for the law on naturalisation.  The Refugee Act must be fully implemented.  We favour steps to reconcile the common travel area with the UK and the emerging system of freedom of travel and access within the EU  A Better Way of Doing Things  45.) Our objectives are:  to enhance the quality of our democracy;  to provide opportunities for greater participation by local communities; and  to ensure that the political system and the public service is responsive to the needs of all citizens, including those who are not normally in a position to assert their rights.  46.) THE CONSTITUTION.  We will propose for adoption byway of constitutional amendment the replacement of the outdated reference in Article 41.2 to woman’s "life within the home" with the following:  "The State recognises that home and family life gives to a society a support without which the common good cannot be achieved. The State shall endeavour to support persons caring for others within the home". We are fully committed to removing the ban on revealing Cabinet discussions, in clearly defined circumstances. The minimum qualifying age for membership of the Dáil, at present 21 years, will be reduced to 18 years. We will oppose a further constitutional referendum on the abortion issue.  47.) HUMAN RIGHTS  We will establish an authoritative and independent Human Rights Commission whose function would be to promote public and official awareness of human rights and the State’s international commitments in this area, and to examine individual complaints with a view to assisting complainants in securing their rights.  48.) GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SERVICE REFORM  We support the Strategic Management Initiative (SMI) process, which was launched last year. Its broad objective is to renew and reform the management performance and efficiency of the public service to ensure a better delivery of public services. It is important to view public service reforms as being based on citizens’ entitlements to quality service delivery. We are dealing in the case of many services with citizens’ rights, not with "customers" or "clients", and the underlying philosophy of the providers should reflect this.  49.) ENHANCING CITIZENSHIP  Labour will promote an active public information policy and will ensure the widest possible access to information, using modern technology to develop interactive information access points through public libraries and public offices. We will repeal the Official Secrets Act. We will offer legal protection to those who blow the whistle on official malpractice. We will legislate for the protection of journalists’ sources, and reform the laws of defamation in conjunction with the enactment of a new Privacy Bill to protect citizens from unwarranted intrusion into their private lives. We will also extend the data protection laws where appropriate.  50.) DEFENCE  We support the preparation of a White Paper dealing with the issues and challenges – including investment and recruitment – facing the military and civil defence forces. Following the White Paper, a comprehensive and up to date Defence Bill would be introduced.