Sinn Féin pledges to invest £1 billion in health sector in election manifesto

Sinn Féin has pledged to create 50,000 jobs and invest an extra £1 billion in the North’s health service at its manifesto launch in Derry.

Earlier this month the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) set out its five point plan for Northern Ireland, ahead of the Assembly election on May 5th.

At the Playhouse Theatre on Wednesday, Martin McGuinness unveiled Sinn Féin’s ten point programme and spoke of its commitment to delivering coherent, collective government at Stormont.

He said its manifesto had been fully costed and that “the people know they can trust Sinn Féin with the political institutions”.

Promoting the “Better with Sinn Féin” electoral message Mr McGuinness said there needed to be “equality and respect at the heart of how we do business” and urged the SDLP and UUP, both considering going into opposition after the election, to show leadership and recognise the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement and St Andrew’s Agreement centred on the “ability of parties to work together”.

He said: “There is a huge responsibility on us all to knuckle down.”

“We are going into government on the other side of this election and I believe the DUP are going into government on the other side of this election.

“There is a huge responsibility on those parties creating doubt in the minds of the electorate to tell them clearly whether or not they are going to join with the rest of us in the spirit of generosity that is required to ensure the Fresh Start Agreement and the spirit of that continues right through the next term of the Assembly.”

Sinn Féin is pledging to create 50,000 jobs, address sub-regional inequalities in investment and build at least 10,000 new social and affordable homes in the next Assembly term.

Addressing accusations from other parties that Sinn Féin’s position on corporation tax is ambiguous, Mr McGuinness said it remained committed to reducing it to 12.5 per cent by 2018.

He alos reaffirmed the party’s commitment to campaign against Brexit ahead of the UK’s June 23rd EU membership referendum.

Health accounts for 47 per cent of the Executive’s budget in the North.

Sinn Féin committed to £1 billion additional health spending and also pledged to set aside £500 million to support those in welfare need.

In the next mandate Sinn Féin said it would increase spend on childcare and early child development initiatives to £525 million, retain the Education Maintenance Allowance and encourage growth of Irish medium, integrated and shared education.

On infrastructure projects the party wants to see an extra £6 billion spent on improving roads, transport and public services in the next five years.

In tackling crime the party pledged to ring-fence spending on front line community policing and in terms of equality issues will promote women and young people in public life.

Addressing racism, homophobia, sexism and all forms of discrimination will be another priority and Foyle candidate Maeve McLaughlin said Sinn Féin’s first act in the assembly will be bringing forward marriage equality legislation.

At present Northern Ireland is the only region in the UK and Ireland not to extended civil marriage right to same sex couples.

Last year at Stormont a vote on marriage equality received a narrow majority in favour for the first time but this was vetoed by the DUP using a petition of concern blocking mechanism.

Ms McLaughlin also said the party would continue to build support for an island-wide referendum on Irish unity.

In 2011 the republican party took 29 of the 108 seats at Stormont.

It has 39 candidates - 15 women and 24 men - standing in the North’s 18 constituencies this time.

Just eight days out from polling it is the last of the five main parties to publish its manifesto.