Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Minister for Finance Brian Cowen will unveil Fianna Fáil's pre-election economic policy early next week in its first major initiative of the campaign, writes Miriam Donohoe, Political Staff
The policy document is expected to provide detailed costings for the promises which Mr Ahern rolled out during his ardfheis speech in Citywest, Dublin on March 24th.
While Fine Gael, Labour and the Greens have published commitments on health, education, transport and crime since January, this will be the first key policy launch by Fianna Fáil, and the first economic policy to be published by any of the parties.
One Fianna Fáil source said last night: "We haven't been lying idle in the last few months. We are ready to roll out our policies and this will be the real start of the campaign."
Mr Ahern is expected to call the election the week the Dáil resumes after the Easter recess with parties speculating that polling could be on May 24th.
The launch of the Fianna Fáil economic policy, expected on Monday, will be the first of a number of policies that will be unveiled by the party from next week.
It is understood the party is anxious to publish its economic policy ahead of the joint economic manifesto due from Fine Gael and Labour.
Fianna Fáil backbenchers have been uneasy about the fact that the Opposition has led the way on election commitments and launches since January.
The raft of promises rolled out by Mr Ahern at the ardfheis came as a surprise to the Opposition and to many in Fianna Fáil as four days before Minister for Social Affairs Séamus Brennan said the party would "promise less and deliver more".
Mr Ahern announced tax cuts and PRSI reforms, 4,000 more primary teachers, bringing the pensions up to €300 a week, 2,000 more gardaí, plus 2,000 hospital consultants and €300 million for 1,500 public beds. Other ardfheis promises included personal health checks, the establishment of local injury clinics, reductions in secondary school class sizes and new schools.
While the party said the tax cut proposals would cost €840 million a year over five years, no other costings were outlined. However, after the ardfheis Mr Cowen promised that a "detailed" economic and financial costing of all the measures would be published.
Meanwhile, the Government Press Secretary, Mandy Johnston, will be heading Fianna Fáil's media relations unit for the duration of the general election campaign and will be taking annual leave from her post to do so.
Several Government advisers, who are not civil servants, are taking holiday leave to work in party headquarters for the duration of the campaign.
It is understood that one of the civil servants working in the Government Information Service will fulfil the Government press spokesperson role during the campaign period.
Former Fianna Fáil general secretary, Pat Farrell, chief executive of the Irish Bankers Federation, is also going to work with the party for the campaign.