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Commitments for Change

Over the last few months, Pat Rabbitte has outlined five 'Commitments for Change' that Labour in Government will implement. This is personal commitment by Pat - it is not the totality of what Labour will do, but five commitments for change that will make a difference.

1. More beds in clean hospitals
   My commitment is to provide 2,300 more beds in hospitals that are clean.We need more beds to deal with our health needs.We need our hospitals to be cleaner so that you can be sure that going into hospital doesn't mean catching MRSA.
2. Pre-school education for all our children
   My commitment is to provide pre-school education for all our children.To give our kids the best chance they can is the wish of all parents, and we all know that the start they get is crucial to that. It will support hard working families and will amount to five half-days of pre-school education, provided free of charge to all children.
3. More Gardaí on the beat in neighbourhoods
   My commitment is to ensure that there are more Gardaí on the beat in neighbourhoods. Hard working families are entitled to live in peaceful law-abiding communities. I am convinced that changes in the manning, deployment and organisation of the Garda Siochana would have a hugely positive impact on people's quality of life and on the rates of crime and anti-social behaviour.
4. Abolish the means test for carers
   My commitment is to abolish the means test for carers. Carers in our communities provide unpaid help for a family member or friend with a disability. And while nearly half of these carers have no paid employment and one third of them give more than 43 hours of unpaid time per week, less than a fifth receive financial assistance from the state for their invaluable and tireless work. It is time to recognise their selfless commitment.
5. Enable more people to begin to buy a home
   My commitment is to enable more people to begin to buy a home.I have developed a new idea to help people get onto the property ladder. It is a new scheme that will provide a means for more people with a job to begin to buy their own home. This new proposal is called 'Begin to Buy'.