FF: Education funding will boost job creation

Fianna Fáil today promised to pump money into education and research to boost job creation if re-elected.

Against a backdrop of a dwindling manufacturing industry and job losses in high technology industries the party defended its economic record against criticism from the opposition.

This came as Fine Gael and Labour attacked the coalition government’s record on crime, on a day when the election campaign continued despite the focus on the restoration of power sharing government in Northern Ireland.

Fianna Fáil said it would increase investment in education and research programmes, pledging to double the number of PHDs and help businesses develop research capabilities.

“Ireland could only compete in the long term if it becomes a world leader in areas where low-cost countries simply don’t have the skills or facilities to challenge us,” Enterprise Minister Michéal Martin said.

It might not be an urgent political issue but it was central to future prosperity and this, he said, was why Fianna Fáil had decided to highlight it as an election pledge.

Minister for Education Mary Hanafin said investment in education had trebled since 1997, with 45,000 extra third level places and a new tier of ’fourth level’ research education being put in place.

“Now we are ready to take the next steps to ensure that Ireland’s highly educated workforce continues to be the envy of our competitors for many years to come”, she said.

Sinn Fein’s Enterprise spokesman Arthur Morgan accused the Fianna Fáil-led government of failing the country on jobs.

“The levels of research and development remain too low,” he said.

“There is no coherent plan for developing indigenous business or for training and upskilling the workforce.

“There is a worrying and unacceptable move by some employers to sustain competitiveness on the back of low-paid and exploited migrant workers and the Government has not prevented this,” he claimed.

His comments came as Bookmaker Paddy Power slashed odds on a Fianna Fail/Sinn Fein coalition from 10/1 to 11/2 – despite Bertie Ahern’s stated opposition to such a pact.

“A lot of people once thought they’d never see a peaceful power sharing Government in Northern Ireland, and a lot of people might have thought a Fianna Fail/Sinn Fein coalition was unlikely, but it’s clear times are changing and the punters are willing to bet on it,” a spokeswoman said.

Labour and Fine Gael meanwhile promised a major crackdown on crime.

Speaking in Cork, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said he wanted to ensure hardworking Irish families feel safe and secure in their own homes.

“With the exception, perhaps, of health, there has been no greater failure in terms of policy and delivery on the part of Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats than in the area of crime,” he said.

“They have made lavish promises but have failed to deliver the security people want.”

“Crime and anti-social behaviour needs to be tackled by a bottom up and top down approach. To deal with petty crime and anti-social behaviour we need to have far more visible Garda presence on the ground in local communities.”

Fine Gael’s Justice Spokesman Jim O’Keefe said the party would put in place sentencing guidelines, tag offenders electronically while on bail and reform the witness protection programme increasing security.

“Fine Gael has committed to putting at least 2,000 more Gardai on the streets through new recruiting and civilianisation.

“After that has been achieved, we will continue to maintain the overall number at a level commensurate with the population and the need,” he said.

“I want An Garda Siochana to be the best police force in the world.”

Green Party leader Trevor Sargent was on the campaign trail off the Wicklow coast today visiting the Arklow wind bank.

“The seven turbines already installed at Arklow can power some 16,000 homes, but developing the bank to its full planning permission capacity would power 400,000 homes and deliver a saving of 1.2m tonnes of CO2 per year,” he said.

“In government we would pursue this as an immediate priority.”

Minister for Health Mary Harney highlighted commitments to the elderly from the Progressive Democrats, promising to introduce an ombudsman for the elderly if re-elected.

“Older people have already worked hard and many have reared families. Now it is important that they can live their lives free from financial insecurity,” she said, repeating the pledge to raise the state pension to €300 by 2012.