Sinn Féin ready for government - Adams

The Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams today said that his party wants to be in government both north and south of Ireland as a means to fulfill its "historic mission to bring about a truly national republic and a truly national government".

Making his keynote address at the Sinn Féin ard fheis in Dublin today Mr Adams denied his party was a high tax party and added that recent budget surpluses proves there is no need to increase taxes.

"For ten years there has been unprecedented revenue surplus available to the government here.

"The government has the ability and the resources, if they so chose, to deal effectively with poverty and inequality. They chose not to do so."

"People on low and middle incomes should not be expected to pay excessive tax. But millionaires and tax exiles who currently pay no tax must be made to pay their fair share," Mr Adams said.

The Sinn Féin leader said his party if in government would introduce major changes in the area of health including; a minimum of 3000 acute hospital beds to ease over crowding and waiting lists and to cut MRSA, a medical card for every child under the age of 18 and he would stop tax breaks for developers of private hospitals.

Mr Adams also promised a reduction in class sizes and the reconstruction and refurbishment of schools.

And he inisted that there must be at least 14,000 social and affordable homes built for every year of the next government.

Meanwhile he said that republicans in Northern Ireland must continue to support police to help make communities safer.

As voters go to the polls next week in a bid to restore power-sharing, Mr Adams reiterated that Sinn Féin remained wedded to its historic endorsement of the PSNI five weeks ago.

He told delegates in Dublin: "Of course, the PSNI needs to win the confidence of citizens, and as part of that necessary process, Sinn Féin will continue to actively encourage people to deal with the police to achieve fully accountable civic policing and to enhance community safety measures.

Earlier in his televised leader's address, he said: "Our task is to ensure that policing is a public service, democratically accountable, depoliticised, transparent and non-partisan."

The West Belfast MP said there was no reason why a power-sharing Assembly at Stormont could not be established by the March 26 deadline set by the British and Irish governments.

"On the doorsteps, there is a clear demand that locally-elected politicians face up to our responsibilities," he remarked.

Additional reporting PA