BUDGET 2012 DAY ONE
Main points
€3.8bn fiscal adjustment needed in 2012
€2.2bn of adjustment from spending
€1.4bn in day-to-day spending cuts
€20m earmarked for new Labour Market Activation Fund
Public service staff down by 6,000
Public service pay bill to fall by €400m in 2012
Social
Weekly social-welfare payments unchanged
Changes to the one-parent family payment will save €20.7m
Child benefit for first and second child unchanged
Cut of six weeks in the cold-weather allowance
Jobseekers’ benefit to be based on five-day week
Redundancy and insolvency changes will reduce employer rebate from 60% to 15%
Back-to-School Clothing Allowance abolished for two/three-year-olds
Payments for new claimants of Disability Allowance cut to €100 a week for people aged 18-21, and to €144 for people aged 22-24.
Health
€543m in net savings in the health area
Extra charges on private treatment in public hospitals
Drug Payment Scheme monthly threshold up from €120 to €132
New measures will reduce the price of drugs
2% cut in disability, mental health and children’s services, saving €50m
Staff ceiling of 103,800 employees to apply to HSE in 2012
Education
€132.3m savings in education
2% cut in Higher Education funding – €7m saving
Increase of €250 in third-level student contribution
Changes to fee and maintenance supports for new post-graduate students
Education expenditure will comprise 17% of all current expenditure next year
€19.2m in cuts to trainee and apprenticeship schemes
Primary-school transport charge to be doubled to €100
Reform
Savings of €105m in Dept of Agriculture, Marine, Food
Savings of €45m in Dept of Transport, Tourism, Sport
Savings of €34m in Environment, Community, Local Govt
€52.9m cut in Overseas Development Aid
€79m cut in spending for An Garda Síochána
