Budget 2012 – as it happens

The Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin has been outlining the government’s spending plans in part one of Budget 2012.
1.45 billion euro worth of savings have been announced with the biggest cuts in the areas of Health, Social Welfare and Education.
CHILD BENEFIT
Phase out entitlements to higher rates for third and subsequent child over two years, Discontinue one-off grants in respect of multiple births.
BACK TO SCHOOL /  CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR ALLOWANCE
Raise the age at which a child qualifies from 2 to 4
Reduce rates of payment from 305 euro to 250 euro and from 200 euro to 150
DISABILITY ALLOWANCE
Raise qualifying age for entitlement for new claimants to 18
Align rates with jobseekers allowance for those aged 18 to 24
SNAP – ONE PARENT FAMILY PAYMENT
Entitlement will be restricted to cases where the youngest child is seven years, over the period to 2014.
Discontinue, for new and existing claimants, entitlement to two qualified child increases where a recipient is also on the Community Employment Scheme
Reduce over five years the earnings disregard from 146.50 to 60 euro per week
SNAP – REDUNDANCY AND INSOLVENCY SCHEME
Reduce employer rebate from 60% to 15%
SNAP – FUEL ALLOWANCE
Reduce fuel season by six weeks from 32 to 26 weeks for new and existing recipients
CE SCHEMES, BACK TO ED. ALLOWANCE
Reduce training and materials from 1,500 to 500 euro per participant per annum
Reduce the annual cost of education allowance to 300 euro
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Reduce the local and community development programme by 8 million euro.
DEFENCE FORCES
Reduce defence forces personnel and other non-pay reductions to achieve savings of 17 million euro.
RESOURCE AND MEDIATION SERVICES
Reduce funding for family resource centres by 5%
Reduce family mediation service by 5%
SCHOOL TRANSPORT
Double the primary school child charge from 50 to 100 euro
Double the maixum family payment for primary children to 220 euro
STUDENT GRANTS
3% reduction in rate of student maintenance grant.
Introduction of a capital asset test from 2013
YOUTHREACH
Reduce to 40 euro allowances to 16-17 year olds on Youthreach, Community Training and Fás courses from 2012
PRIVATE FEE PAYING SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Increase in pupil teacher ratio from 20:1 to 21:1 in next school year
OVERSEAS AID
Cuts of 53 million euro to overseas aid budget
GARDA BUDGET
Cuts to payroll and pensions, overtime, travel and subsistence and maintenance of garda stations to save 79 million euro.
AVIATION
Reduce funding for regional airports and miscellaneous services to save 5 million euro
REGIONAL AND LOCAL ROADS
DISCONTINUE funding for Local Improvement Scheme for non-public roads in 2012