Speaking at tonight’s Women For Election Review

It’s a pleasure to be here this evening and I’d like to thank Women for Election as always for the invitation.
2015 has been a pivotal year in our recovery, a year when we’ve made much economic and social progress.

We’ve seen 1,000 jobs created a week, unemployment fall below 9% for the first time since December 2008, the public finances restored to rude health, and we’re on track to significantly beat our deficit reduction targets.

That has allowed us to announce very significant investment in new schools, roads and broadband, and deliver tax reductions for low and middle-income workers and a Christmas Bonus for pensioners, carers and other groups.

On the social side, we’ve seen Ireland become a truly rainbow nation by saying yes to marriage equality – a moment that will feature in all the end-of-year reviews for certain.

We’ve more to do, because not everyone is feeling the recovery yet, and there is further social progress to be made before we can say we’re a truly equal nation.

But it’s been a good year in advancing both objectives.

When I last met with you in October, I spoke about the Budget and the many important measures it contained for working families.

Tonight, I’d like to look forward a little, to the forthcoming election and the work still to be done.

This will be the first general election in which gender quotas will apply.

At least 30% of all parties’ candidates will have to be women.

The Labour Party, having led the way in advancing the role of women in politics, will have no difficulty in meeting the quota.

In fact, of the four main parties, I comfortably expect we will be in poll position in terms of the percentage of women candidates we run.

And we won’t stop there.

It’s not enough that we encourage more women to run.

We have to ensure that more women lead.

I know this is a priority for Women for Election and I congratulate you on your sterling work on this front – from working to get more women candidates elected to fighting for more women around the Cabinet table.

I’m guessing few of you missed new Canadian premier Justin Trudeau’s reply when he unveiled his Cabinet made up of equal numbers of men and women.

Asked why gender parity was so important to him, he replied: “Because it’s 2015.”

Good for him.

Here in Ireland, in 2016, what would be a better way to mark the Commemoration of the Rising, and the signatories’ vision of equality, than to have an equal number of men and women around the Cabinet table?

I think I can say with confidence that Labour won’t be found wanting.

Including the Attorney General, five of Labour’s current 11 appointments to Government are women.

It’s not quite gender parity, but it’s the closest any party has come to it.

And if the public vote for strong Labour women candidates, we’ll make further progress still.

We already have a 50:50 ratio in another vitally important area.

In the most recent Budget, that was the agreed split between tax reductions and investment in services – a Labour priority.

In other words, for every €1 spent reducing tax, €1 was spent increasing services.

In the next Government term, I will be seeking to change that ratio in favour of extra investment.

I want to use 70% of the available fiscal space for investment in education, health, childcare and other services.

30% or so will be used for tax reductions.

Now, let me be clear on this.

As Labour Leader, I firmly believe that after a recession in which people’s incomes were savagely affected, tax reductions are merited.

It’s why I championed USC reductions for low and middle-income workers in the two most recent budgets.

And it’s why, in the next government, Labour will ensure the abolition of USC on income up to €70,000.

But we believe high earners can continue to pay USC on that portion of their income over €70,000.

And this money, in turn, can be used for investment in better services, such as childcare.

In the Budget, we announced substantial investment in childcare to increase options for families where both parents are in the workplace.

That included the extension of the Early Childhood Care and Education scheme, a longstanding priority of mine.

I also allocated €5 million for a new Paternity Benefit scheme, to start in September 2016.

This will allow fathers in employment to take two weeks’ paternity leave paid at €230 a week.

But I am determined that we go further still.

Labour will outline a very significant plan in the campaign to drive up the quality of childcare and drive down the costs.

A central component of this will be increasing paid parental leave.

We will protect the existing six months of paid maternity leave, incorporating the new two weeks of paternity leave.

In addition, we will provide three additional months of paid parental leave that can be shared between both parents.

This will ensure that every child can be cared for by their parents for the first 9 months of their life.

The choices we make in terms of tax and spend define us as a society.

My view is clear.

Increasing the ratio of investment to provide additional benefits for families will be money extremely well spent with long-term benefits.

An additional three months of paid parental leave is one example.

Labour would also use the resources available under a 70:30 split to ensure the smallest class sizes in the history of the state.

That is a flavour of what we would deliver in a second term.

I look forward to the election campaign, and spelling out our vision in full.

Spelling out our vision for a better, fairer and more equal Ireland.

And I look forward in particular to seeing more women in the Dail, and more women around the Cabinet table, to help deliver that.