A CAP on the number of students entering higher education, a dramatic scaling back in the number of gardaí carrying guns and new restrictions on eligibility for patients seeking reimbursement for medicine costs were among the measures put forward by Government officials to save money in the run-up to the budget.
Official documents submitted to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for its recent review of expenditure show the Department of Education considered the abolition of the school-transport scheme and a 10 per cent cut in the number of special needs assistant posts in schools.
All departments were asked for recommendations. Government sources said proposals that were not adopted could be considered again in future years.
The documents show the Department of Justice suggested that the number of gardaí carrying firearms be reduced by almost three-quarters, with no gardaí bar members of anti-gangland units licensed to carry guns.
The introduction of a new lower-paid grade of home-help staff, new restrictions on drug prescribing and the introduction of a €50 million cut in the pay bill for hospital consultants were among the measures considered by the Department of Health. The department also suggested there could be two separate thresholds for reimbursement of money spent on drugs under the Drug Payment Scheme, one for lower-income people and a second one for higher incomes.
The Department of Transport’s submission raised questions about the “appropriateness of blanket free travel for a broad range of passengers”, pointing out that each of the CIÉ companies estimated that funding from the Department of Social Protection was insufficient to meet the costs of free travel.
The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation suggested the system whereby TDs are able to ask parliamentary questions should be subjected to a review to ensure it is fit for purpose.