Fine Gael has raised about €2 million for the next election campaign in a nationwide draw over the past two years, a party spokesman disclosed yesterday in advance of this weekend's party ardfheis.
The programme for the ard-fheis, which opens in the City West Hotel in Dublin tomorrow evening reveals that the party had a total income of €8.7 million in the two years ending December 31st last.
From the money raised in the election draw, €1.2 million has been put towards the national election fund while €600,000 had been given back to the constituency organisations for the campaign.
The draw has provided a substantial contribution to the election war chest being built by the party. The spokesman said Fine Gael expected to spend €3 million on the campaign, with a substantial sum being spent in the run-up and the rest during the course of the election itself.
The party received €6.13 million in Oireachtas grants for the day-to-day running of the organisation over the past two years.
The problems in the health service, crime and the waste of public money will be the main subjects for debate at the two-day ardfheis whose theme is "Change for the Better".
Fine Gael has launched an expensive billboard campaign on the theme "Ireland Deserves Better" which will run until the end of the month. Further campaigns are planned over the next year.
The motions for debate this weekend reflect the central themes of the billboard campaign with health featuring prominently.
One motion from the Ballinasloe branch commits the party to stop building private hospitals on public land beside existing hospitals. Another calls for extra investment in health, including free GP services for children under five years.
A motion from Young Fine Gael commits the party to backing Michael McDowell's cafe bar licences, which was opposed by the party in the Dáil and blocked by Fianna Fáil opposition.
A motion from Dublin North West condemns the Government for putting up the bail bond for the Colombia Three while one from Blackrock in Louth deplores the continued involvement of the IRA in organised crime. The Government's "duplicity" on decentralisation is condemned in another which commits Fine Gael to implementing the programme where enough interest has been expressed by civil servants while retaining the central policy making functions of Government departments in the capital.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael has selected the former president of the Irish Medical Organisation, Dr James Reilly, as its election candidate in Dublin North. Dr Reilly, a medical practitioner, a fourth generation native of Lusk, Co Dublin, was selected at a convention on Tuesday night.