Fine Gael is a party of aspiration, a party of enterprise, a party of opportunity, and a party of hope. These are our values and they guide our ambition for this country.
We want to give hope to individuals and families, reward work and enterprise, encourage aspiration, and remove barriers to progress. We want the Republic that we founded to provide opportunities for all our people.
We believe a greater work-life balance and work-place flexibility must be better supported, particularly in the early years.
That is why we have brought forward measures such as Paternity Benefit. Since its introduction 751 fathers in Louth have been awarded this payment.
We have also brought forward measures to make childcare more affordable such as full entitlement to a full two years of the free preschool programme and a universal childcare subsidy of up to €1,040 per year for children aged from 6 to 36 months.
Balanced regional development is at the heart of our planning. We will ensure that rural communities not only survive but thrive. We have appointed a Minister for Rural and Community Development and in early 2017 we launched the Action Plan for Rural Development.
€775,726 is being invested in Louth to rejuvenate the town and villages in the county in 2017 and €6,101,862 is being spent between 2014 and 2020 through the LEADER Programme.
In addition, €250,000 has been invested in Louth through the Local Improvement Scheme to support the improvement of non-public rural roads. Also, €5,184,174 has been spent on Regional and Local Roads while a further €3,721,786 was spent on National Roads in Louth in 2017.
Life expectancy is increasing as is the average and median age. We believe that this is an opportunity for Ireland that should be embraced.
In March 2017 we increased the State Pension again, benefitting 14,946 pensioners in Louth. Budget 2018 increased the State Pension by €5 per week, making a total increase of €13 per week over the last 3 Fine Gael budgets, and proportional increases for qualified adults and those on reduced rates of payment.
We will bolster the success created by Irish workers and enterprises by ensuring that all get fair reward for their efforts and for the risks they take.
Significant progress has been made already; we cut the USC again, increased the entry point for the higher rate of tax, increased the Earned Income Tax Credit, extended entitlement to the Treatment Benefit Scheme and increased the national minimum wage for the fourth time.
Our culture, heritage, language and sport define us as a people. They bring us together, are central to good physical and mental health, and give us great pride.
The Sports Capital Programme has transformed Ireland’s sporting landscape with improvements in the quality and quantity of sporting facilities. Under the 2017 round of the Sports Capital Programme €1,620,106 in funding has been secured for 42 sporting organisations across Louth.
We are committed to ensuring that people feel safe in their homes, whether in our urban centres or the heart of rural Ireland.
Here in the Louth Garda Division there is a currently 312 Gardaí on the beat and a Garda fleet consisting of 58 vehicles. We have a plan in place in place to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021.
We are also working to ensure that vulnerable older people feel safe in their communities. Under the Senior Alerts Scheme 643 people have received a personal monitored alarm in Louth since late 2015.
Since the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs in 2012 the number of persons on the Live Register in Louth has declined by 49%.
Youth unemployment also continues to fall with a reduction of 61% of U-25s on the Live Register over the same period. As we approach full employment our focus is on high quality, secure job creation.