How much of a win is the programme for government for Fianna Fáil?
The newly-agreed coalition programme commits to the expansion of 'free GP services to children up to at least 12 years'.
Immediately after the announcement that a draft programme for government had been agreed, the Regional Independents were quick to let everyone know they were happy with the document.
Their own proposals, they said, were well represented and would have a huge impact on Ireland over the next half decade.
On Wednesday, it was the turn of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to begin the process of pointing to its own fingerprints on the deal. While the two parties were not massively divergent on many policies throughout November's election campaign, each had priorities it was keen to progress.
A number of Fianna Fáil sources said that they were pleased with how the final document looks.
They pointed to a number of policies, namely:
The earliest clash between the two parties in the campaign was after a Fine Gael plan to lower the hospitality VAT rate to 11% was slammed by Finance Minister Jack Chambers as "a major mistake" because it could mean the end to discounted VAT on energy bills.
The party had wanted to "keep VAT on gas and electricity bills at 9% for the next five years" and the programme commits to "bring forward taxation measures to help contain energy costs, including with regard to VAT".
The party had wanted to increase the entry point for the higher rate of income tax to at least €50,000 and cut the lower rate of USC from 3% to 1.5%.
While these are not in the document, one source said that they would be part of discussions on the budget later this year.
The Fianna Fáil manifesto had committed to "reducing health charges and extending free GP cards to all under-12s" and party sources said they were "delighted" with the programme for government containing a line that commits to the expansion of "free GP services to children up to at least 12 years", as well as keeping its further extension under review.
While all sides are claiming a win on the abolition of the means test for the carers, the document doesn't foresee an immediate abolition. Instead, it says the government will "continue to significantly increase the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government".
A number of Fianna Fáil's Dublin-based TDs and senators held repeated press events during the last Dáil calling for a safer Dublin, with a transport police as a major facet.
The document proposes the establishment of a transport security force under the National Transport Authority, which "would operate and have similar powers to the Airport Police and Customs officers".
A pupil-teacher ratio of 19:1 was repeatedly singled out by Micheál Martin as a necessity. The programme for government pledges to do this over five years and introduce "targeted measures in schools with very large classes".
A Fianna Fáil source said that one of their "biggest wins" on a personal level was the return of a dedicated junior minister for the marine.
Fianna Fáil had sought a "separate Department of Domestic Affairs similar to most European countries, to take the lead on national security issues, migration and other key areas".
While a separate department was always dismissed out of hand by Fine Gael, the Department of Justice is being rebranded as the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
Fianna Fáil is calling it a win, Fine Gael is arguing it won out. A score draw?
For the party which holds the Department of Housing, it is no surprise that much of its election campaign was fought in that area.
The party's manifesto particularly targeted first-time buyers, with a a €2,500 tax credit for legal, surveying and valuation fees for first time buyers part of that proposal.
What the programme for government does commit to is a "new, comprehensive Starter Home programme across the public, private and AHB sector, which promotes home ownership and secures long-term rental tenures for young people and fresh start applicants".
It says that this will lead to 15,000 "starter homes" but there is little detail on what the scheme will look like.
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