LAST UPDATE | 5 Oct 2023

THE LABOUR PARTY will propose a free full medical and mental health screening for every person once they turn 18 as part of the party’s alternative Budget.

Other measures include the introduction of a €9 unlimited public transport ticket, a tax on SUVs, and just under €3 billion on a “once-off cost of living package”. 

The party’s health spokesperson Duncan Smith said the full medical and mental health screenings would be “vital” for early intervention for a range of potential health issues.

“We all know that prevention is key when it comes to health,” he said, adding that such a scheme would also play an important role in helping people build up a relationship with their own GP. 

Labour has said that introducing such a measure would cost €20m annually. 

The Labour Party has proposed €1.1 billion in additional health spending as part of its alternative Budget. 

This would go towards new measures such as free GP care for all children and funding to improve services for children with disabilities and access to diagnostic assessments.

Smith explained that the free medical assessment measure could help detect individuals at risk of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) – the unexplained heart condition that can cause death in young people who appear healthy and fit. 

It is estimated that between 70 to 100 people under 40 die from the syndrome each year.

“So many communities nationwide have experienced the devastation of losing some to sudden arrhythmic death syndrome,” Smith said.

He said while it is positive to see an increase in the roll out of defibrillators in community spaces, “all the medical evidence suggests that weaknesses in the heart could be identified and managed if they are caught early”.

“Providing every person with access to a full medical would ensure quicker intervention for any potential issue, as well as making people more aware of the importance in maintaining overall well-being.

“Too many people are tempted to skip annual check ups with their doctor. If we make it available to every young adult in this country, we could make a huge difference to people’s lives for generations to come,” Smith said.

Other measures

The Labour Party’s alternative budget also includes a €9 unlimited public transport ticket. 

Labour’s spokesperson on finance and public expenditure Ged Nash launched the party’s alternative budget this afternoon and said that the unlimited public transport ticket “is based on the German model”. 

This year, Germany launched what has been dubbed the “Germany ticket” which covers trips on all modes of public transport across the country for €49 a month. 

This followed a trial scheme where Germany offered unlimited travel for a three-month period at a cost of €9 per month. 

Also included in Labour’s alternative budget is an SUV tax to “end car bloat”.

Its alternative budget would cost €6.9 billion, of which just under €3 billion would be directed to a “once-off cost of living package”. 

Speaking this afternoon, Nash said this once-off package would give people “instant relief ahead of Christmas”.

This would include a once-off €250 November fuel allowance payment and a Child Benefit double payment in December, and an increase of social welfare payments by €15 from October and €27.50 per week to be phased in over 2024. 

However, he added that this would be “coupled with a long-term, sustainable plan to slash inequality”.

The Labour Party also indicated that it would end taxation on trade union membership subscriptions, provide paid leave for pregnancy loss, and introduce the indexation of income tax and USC credits.

Nash said Labour’s alternative budget “sets out how we will use the wealth generated by working people or businesses to make this country a better place, to make this country more social and democratic, to ensure that we can develop an Ireland that works for all”.

-With additional reporting from Diarmuid Pepper