Fine Gael manifesto provides blueprint to grow jobs and Keep the Recovery going

Taoiseach and Fine Gael Leader, Enda Kenny TD along with Fine Gael Ministers today (Sunday) published the Party’s General Election Manifesto, which provides people with the stability and certainty needed to Keep the Recovery Going.

An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD said: “Fine Gael’s promise is to give our people the solid foundation on which they can build their lives – no more boom and bust, no more reckless waste of taxpayers’ money, no more sense of a crisis. Underpinning our manifesto is Fine Gael’s Long Term Economic Plan to Keep the Recovery Going. It has three steps.

1. More and Better Jobs – 200,000 extra jobs by 2020 supported by a €4 billion jobs fund

2. Making Work Pay – abolishing the USC and reforming the welfare system to make work always pay more than welfare

3. Investing in Public Services – with more people at work and paying taxes we will be able to recruit 10,000 extra nurses, teachers and Gardaí.

“And make no mistake; if we have no new jobs, there is no recovery and no investment in new services.  It’s as simple as that. Everybody wants to reduce taxes and invest more in public services, but without a growing economy and more jobs their plans are little more than wish lists.  That’s the real choice facing the electorate on the 26th. Fine Gael has that Plan and can deliver those jobs.”

Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD said: 

“As in recent years, we are living through uncertain economic times. We see what is happening in China, the international markets are in great flux, the Brexit debate, and political uncertainty in Portugal and Greece. In uncertain economic times the Irish people are going to have to decide on a very important issue: who do they trust to make the right calls for Ireland’s future?”

Minister Simon Coveney TD, who oversaw the preparation of the manifesto, said:

“In 2011, Fine Gael promised to get Ireland working again. Working with the people, this Government implemented a recovery plan to bring us to where we are today. Together, we ended the bailout and restored our international reputation. We supported the changes to help create 135,000 extra jobs since 2012.  Fine Gael’s commitment is that we are never going back.”

Commenting on the Fine Gael Election Manifesto, Minister for Jobs, Richard Bruton TD said:

“The biggest dividing line opening up between the Fine Gael and the Fianna Fáil manifestos is on jobs. While Fine Gael is committing €4 billion to a Future Jobs Investment Fund and to continue to implement our Action Plan on Jobs, how much is Fianna Fail putting behind job creation? €0.”