Irish Members - Finally some cuts in the public sector

[gv1.3]

Okay so these are not actual cuts they are recommendations by "an bord snip nua". I think the public sector has gotten off way too lightly with Irelands economy in shambles!

Now sit back and wait for the unions to start making threats!

FULL STORY - http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0716/economy1.html

OUTLINE OF PROPOSALS

Social and Family Affairs - More

* Cuts to all social welfare payments by 5% - €850m

* Reduction and changes to child benefit - €513m

* An end to receiving two welfare payments - €100m

* An end to payments for Community Employment Schemes for those already on benefit - €100m

* Cutting benefits for dental, optical and hearing services - €92m

* Grading of jobseekers allowance by age - €70m

* Cutting the Family Support Agency - €30m

* Changing eligibility for Family Income Supplement - €20m

* Taxing household benefits package - €11.6m

Staff cuts - None

Total cut €1.8bn

Health and Children

* Reduce the size of the Department by 10% a year over the next three years - €11m

* Reduce HSE staff - €391.3m

* Revise the income guidelines for the Medical Card to the basic rate of social welfare, the jobseekers allowance - €100m

* Increase the threshold for the Drugs Payment Scheme from 4100 to €125 a month - €37m

* Those previously receiving free prescriptions must now pay €5 for each prescription - €70m

* Hold an open competition to provide services under the General Medical Services scheme - €370m

* Increase Hospital Charges - €6m

* Increase charges for private facilities in public hospitals by 20% - €50m

* Hospitals and clinicians must provide generic medicines, off-patent drugs and value-for-money treatments - €30m

* Changes to agencies and organisations in the disability and mental health area which receive State funding - €50m

* Changes to the Fair Deal scheme with the individual to contribute more to nursing home care from their own residence - €50m

* Means test for Homecare packages - €24m

Staff cuts: 6168

Total cuts: €1.2bn

Education and Science - More

* Staff and pay cuts in primary and post primary schools - €150m

* Staff cuts at third level - €140m

* Cuts to number of special needs assistants and English language support teachers - €81m

* Increased pupil teacher ratio at primary and post primary - €80m

* Change to student support grant - €70m

* Cuts to capitation grants for primary and post primary schools - €25m

* Cuts to research and development - €27.5m

* Cuts to grants for private schools - €25m

* Merging of smaller primary schools - €25m

* Cuts to school transport - €25m

* Integration of senior travelling training - €25m

* Cuts to third level structures - €23.7m

Staff cuts 6,390

Total cut €746m

Agriculture - More

* Reduce expenditure on the Disadvantaged Area Compensatory Allowance Scheme by 30% - €66m

* Terminate the Suckler Cow Scheme - €44m

* Close REPS 4 and no rollover from REPS 2 and 3 into REPS 4 - €80m

* Reduce Teagasc staff numbers, rationalise Teagasc and Dept offices - €37m

Total cuts €305m

Staff cuts 1,140 staff

Enterprise, Trade and Employment

* Merge the regional offices and shared services of Enterprise Ireland, IDA and FÁS - €87m

* A single reduced funding stream for all science, technology and innovation activities across all departments - €53m

* Streamline all support of Irish enterprises and marketing functions in Enterprise Ireland - €10m

* Stop funding the FÁS Services to Business and Skillnets programmes - €27m

* Cuts to training allowances for the unemployed - €24.5m

Total cuts €237.7m

Staff cuts 594

Community Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

* Cuts to Community Services Programmes - €64m

* Cuts to Gaeltacht Schemes - €20.8m

* Cuts to islands infrastructure - €20m

Staff cuts 196

Total cut €151m

Environment, Heritage and Local Government

* Cuts to local government including an end to 12 county or town councils - €100m

* Further efficiencies - €30m

Staff cuts 30

Total cut €130m

Transport

* Efficiencies among CIE companies - €55m

* Cuts to road maintenance - €20m

* Cuts to regional air services - €15m

* Axing the Rural Transport Scheme - €11m

* Outsourcing of driver and vehicle testing - €10m

* Cuts to the Road Saferty Authority - €4.2m

* Merging the National Roads Authority and the Railway Procurement Agency - €3m

* Merging the National Vehicle and Driver File into the Road Safety Authority - €2m

Staff cuts 80

Total cut €127.1m

Arts, Sports and Tourism

* Cuts in allocation to tourism and marketing - €27m

* Cut in grant to Sports Council - €17.7m

* Cut allocation to Horse and Greyhound Fund - €16.4m

Staff cuts 170

Total cut €104.8m

Justice

* Cuts to pay and allowances for justice sector staff - including gardai - €65m

* Cuts to the courts service - €13.5m

* Cuts in immigration staff - €10m

* Transfer disability functions of department to Department of Health - €2.6m

* Cuts to Youth Detention Centres - €2.5m

Staff cuts 540

Total cut €136.4m

Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

* Cuts to energy efficiency schemes run by Sustainable Energy Ireland - €40m

* Cuts to direct funding to TG4 - to be partially funded from licence fee - €10m

Staff cuts 106

Total cuts €65.6m

Defence - More

* Measures including a reduction in Defence Forces personnel by more than 500

Total cuts €53m

Staff cuts 520

Finance

* Cuts to the Office of Public Works - reducing spare capacity and rental costs - €21m
Staff cuts 660

Total cuts €82.8m

Department of Foreign Affairs

* Cuts to overseas missions - €15m

* Cuts to overseas aid - €14.8m

* Cuts to Support for Irish Emigrants - €1m

Staff cuts 65

Total cut €41.7m

Houses of the Oireachtas Commission

* Changes to some operations - €6m

* Cuts to Oireachtas Allowances and Benefits - €1.5m

Total cuts €7.8m

Staff cuts 42

National Treasury Management Agency

* Reduce staff and other administrative costs - €5.3m

* Changes at the State Claims Agency including payment schemes, legal fees and risk management services

Total cuts €5.3m

Staff cuts 40

Department of the Taoiseach

* An end to the National Economic and Social Development Organisation - except for the National Economic and Social Council - €4m

* Axing the Law Reform Commission - €2.8m

* Cuts to the cost of Census 2011 - €2.2m

Staff cuts 77

Total Cut €17.5m

 

[gglavin]

Okay so these are not actual cuts they are recommendations by "an bord snip nua". I think the public sector has gotten off way too lightly with Irelands economy in shambles!

Now sit back and wait for the unions to start making threats!

FULL STORY - http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0716/economy1.html

what a load of bollox, hit the people that are vulnerable , pensions, health, social welfare. how about look at their own wages which where brough in line with big business CEOs so they didnt lose out to them, look after the rich.

 

[Franza1]

I agree with Glavin, hitting the education system is a complete and utter load of bolix.

 

[gv1.3]

Those cuts are SOME of the recommendations not all.

There are a lot of recommendations for reducing the totally bloated public sector.

As for social welfare I think a reduction in unemployment payments is well overdue. Some people forget that unemployment payments are designed to keep people ticking over until they get a job not an alternative to working. At the moment wages are dropping and unemployment payments have not there needs to be an incentive to go out and work and if unemployment payments are too high there is no incentive.

"look after the rich" - can you explain how a report on cutting public sector expenditure is looking after the rich?

I agree with Glavin, hitting the education system is a complete and utter load of bolix.

A huge amount of education budget gets spent employing civil servants who sit in offices and scratch their arses plus their gilted pensions etc.

I dont like the fact that classrooms will be hit but cuts must be made somewhere. The reality of the situation is that as a country we dont have the money we used to.

I am glad the public service bloating is finally being tackled but would prefer to see more office based civil servant getting the boot.

 

[Franza1]

Shite i didn't see that part, na my major thing it the education more than anything, the rest of the stuff can be justified in some way, but a cut in the education system will only bring us into line with the likes of america with their huge amount of people not finishing education and not being a skilled person who's door is knocked down with people looking to employ them. we should be trying to help people to go to school and collage not frightening them away because they cannot afford it.

I do a agree with the civil servants part all right, too many people sitting around all day and not doing a thing. cut the fat as you could put it. but the increased workload/class sizes and fees i don't particular agree with

 

[gv1.3]

very true Frankie ^^

Having seen the offices of the department of education first hand it is very obvious that their budget is not getting to the classrooms.

 

[Franza1]

very true Frankie ^^

Having seen the offices of the department of education first hand it is very obvious that their budget is not getting to the classrooms.

cheers, i mean if you were a company who was coming out of bad times and wanted to get back on their feet again, what would you choose a country with a load of people who never graced a collage door or the best educated country in the world.

 

[Johnny_C]

looks like ill be taking a 5% paycut.

 

[Corey_gt]

We are fucked I say this everyday.

 

[sacodetoro]

I don't think cutting the budget for tourism and marketing is a good idea, surely in a time like this you would want to be maximising that sort of area which brings in money from abroad?
we supply carrolls irish gifts which is a really tourist focused chain and business is just as good with them this year as last.

 

[Dar81]

..and Fianna Fail bottle it again.. This report comes out just Dail Eireann goes into a 9 week recess without them publicly standing over this report and backing the recommendations.

No.. They drift away into the mist and will listen to how the report is being received and then take a position on it.. Cowardly animals..

Jack O'Connor and co now get nearly 3 months to build their case against many of these necessary measures.

While it's inevitable that not all of the recommendations will implemented, you can be guaranteed that government will be bullied by SIPTU, with their threats of industrial action, on many of the recommendations that SHOULD be implemented.

Again, this government has dropped the ball...

 

[supernova]

dunno about cutting education, health and children... Also Ireland gets alot of income from tourism as well so cuts there aren't sensible either... Think dole should have been cut more than 5% though as it is quite high as it is! Also, reduce the amount of gardai, there's too many of them

 

[Johnny_C]

dunno about cutting education, health and children... Also Ireland gets alot of income from tourism as well so cuts there aren't sensible either... Think dole should have been cut more than 5% though as it is quite high as it is! Also, reduce the amount of gardai, there's too many of them

you try living on 200 euro a week.

 

[Aidan@EP-styling]

Slash the dole in half!:yes:

There is people un-employed earning more than I get working a 5 day week.
There in claiming dole / rent allowance / medical cards and whatever other benifits some people can get.

(Look at Johnny_C for example, now unemployed and is after getting himself a set of Rays wheels, forged engine etc...:haha

Dole should be 100 euro per week and the 2% levy on tax-payers should be scrapped!

 

[Johnny_C]

Slash the dole in half!:yes:

There is people un-employed earning more than I get working a 5 day week.
There in claiming dole / rent allowance / medical cards and whatever other benifits some people can get.

(Look at Johnny_C for example, now unemployed and is after getting himself a set of Rays wheels, forged engine etc...:haha

Dole should be 100 euro per week and the 2% levy on tax-payers should be scrapped!

lol

 

[Aidan@EP-styling]

lol

Go claim your "car modifications benefit"

 

[Aidan-G]

Dole should be 100 euro per week and the 2% levy on tax-payers should be scrapped!

i honestly dont think slashing the dole to 100euro would be good,there would be holy war instead they should reduce it a bit and give the students who are finished collage fuck all!!target the people who are milkin the money from the government,the peole who are claiming and working 5 days a week for cash

 

[gv1.3]

I also notice that horse racing Ireland are not mentioned here at all, they are government funded. Any money made in the equine industry in Ireland is tax free... it is sick