AS DETAILS OF today’s budget become clearer, we know that the nation’s road network isn’t going to get any better in the next few years, while students are facing a reduction in their grant money.

But the cuts are wide-ranging:

Transport

• Capital provision expenditure for national roads will be cut by €394 million to €720 million and an ‘across-the-board reduction’ in maintenance expenditure on national, regional and local roads will be imposed.
• A cut in the exchequer grant to the Road Safety Authority is also imminent.
• From mid-2011, there will be a curtailment of support for regional air services.

Education

• The post-primary charge will be increased to €350 and a €50 fee at primary level (excluding those with medical cards) will be introduced.
• Student grants will be reduced by 4%.
• A 5% reduction in all capitation grants – even those for adult literacy, community education, school completion programme and Youthreach – will be implemented.
• The Student Services Charge will be replaced with a flat higher education student contribution of €2,000, and a €200 charge for PLC students will be introduced. The higher Student Service charge will only apply to one child in a family at any one time.

Health

• Overall health budget for 2011 will be €14.1 billion, a reduction of more than €700 million on this year

Communications

• Exchequer funding for TG4 will be reduced with the shortfall made up from RTÉ’s licence fee income. This will, we’re told, yield a net programme saving of €6.2m.

Sport

• Despite representation from the main sporting bodies recently, there will be reduced funding for bodies and agencies including the Irish Sports Council and National Sports Campus.

Arts

• Arts Council budget will be reduced by 5%.

Local Government

• There promises to be a lower exchequer contribution to the Local Government Fund.

Defence

• The Defence Forces’ budget will be pared back by 4%.
• There will be a reduction in the provision for allowances for overseas deployment.
• The number of civilian employees attached to military installations will be lowered.