UKIP Manifesto Empowering the people

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“State education simply isn’t working. Standards are falling” · Re-examine community care and support congregate communities for people with learning disabilities · Restore free eye tests and dental check-ups for all UK citizens Download the full Healthcare & the NHS policy from the Policies section of www.ukip.org 7 Education & Training UKIP believes it is the responsibility of the State to ensure a quality education is provided for all - regardless of income, age, aptitudes or ability. UKIP recognises that state education simply isn’t working, with falling standards, watered down exams, undermining of merit, shortages of skills and devaluation of graduate qualifications. UKIP will: · Increase parental choice in school education and make schools more answerable to parents by offering all parents ‘School Vouchers’. The vouchers will be equivalent to the average cost of State schooling and follow the child to the school of the family’s choice, transferable to State, private or faith schools · Insist schools teach the ‘three Rs’ effectively, introduce simple reading tests at age 7 and use phonics to teach reading. The three Rs provide young children with the proper foundation for their whole school and work careers · Replace current teacher training with more on-the-job training, and insist on higher qualifications for aspiring teachers · Retain all existing grammar schools and encourage the creation of new grammar schools and specialist schools, which will be called ‘professional schools’. UKIP will not return to a pass/fail 11-plus test but introduce a ‘Comprehensive Test’ to assess merit across a wide range of academic and non-academic abilities including vocational skills, crafts and sport. There will be no return to the stigma of failing 11-plus · Scrap the nonsensical target of making 50% of school leavers go to university, and allow universities to choose their students based on academic ability and merit alone. We will abolish social engineering and the Office of Fair Access. UKIP will change a number of universities back into skills and vocational colleges · Return to a student grant system, as opposed to student loans which leave many graduates in heavy debt. We will offer all students ‘Student Vouchers’ for a proportion of their costs equivalent to ‘Basic Cash Benefit’ (see ‘Welfare and Social Security’, below) and allow them to top up the vouchers by working or taking out commercial student loans · Introduce directly elected County Education Boards made up of educational professionals and councillors. These will replace Local Education Authorities and ensure an adequate number of schools are provided · Introduce franchising of schools, colleges and educational institutions across Britain so that charitable associations, parental co-operatives, notfor-profit and profit-making private companies, partnerships or individuals bid to run institutions on a budget set by the elected County Education Boards. This will inject the ethos of successful private and State schools, raising standards while improving efficiency and innovation. Meanwhile fixed assets, accountability and decision making will remain firmly in public hands · Replace the current school funding policy - which favours specialist schools - with a policy where funds are shared equally regardless of the degree of specialisation · Allow schools to select pupils based on their suitability for the education provided - putting vocational skills, craft skills and sporting ability on a par with academic ability · Allow teachers to do their jobs with minimal government interference. Ofsted will be abolished and its powers transferred to school governing bodies and a new independent Educational Inspectorate made up of experienced teachers. The National Curriculum will become less prescriptive and schools will have a greater say over subjects taught, although key subjects will be retained. We will allow parents to trigger a government inspection of a school if 10% of the parents at that school initiate this in a referendum · Pass legislation that establishes beyond doubt the right for schools and teachers to impose proper discipline on pupils without fear of scurrilous legal actions destroying their careers · Abandon the policy of ‘inclusion’ and allow parents to chose special schools for children with learning disabilities 8 Straight talking. 0800 587 6 587 · o · p m D fr 8 B su EU g U b se d ur co · a ci Pe in ut a a w Pe p w C ze · a ta g fo · · sa p a lia un si co
· Look · Look favourably favourably on on home home education, education, and and · Scrap · Scrap the the costly costly and and counter-productive oppose oppose current current plans plans to regulate to regulate it it statutory statutory Pension Pension Protection Protection Fund Fund and and National National Pensions Pensions Savings Savings Scheme Scheme · Lengthen · Lengthen and and enhance enhance Entry Entry to Employment to Employment programmes programmes for for those those not not in education, in education, employemploy- · Save · Save the the UK UK from from a potentially a potentially ruinous ruinous mentment or training, or training, to overcome to overcome anti-work anti-work attitudes attitudespensions pensions burden burden by leaving by leaving the the EU EU and and its its enforced enforced common common pensions pensions pot. pot. While While the the UK UK Download Download the the full full Education Education & Training & Training policy policy has has 74% 74% of its of GDP its GDP invested invested in UK in UK private private penpen- from from the the Policies Policies section section of www.ukip.org of www.ukip.org sions,sions, Germany Germany has has a mere a mere 5.8% 5.8% and and France France 5.6%. 5.6%. Further Further integration integration of the of the UK UK into into the the EU, EU, through through Euro Euro membership membership for for example, example, would would turn turn this this into into a pensions a pensions tax tax time time bomb bomb 8 8 Pensions Download Download the the full full Pensions Pensions policy policy from from the the Britain’s Britain’s pensioners pensioners deserve deserve better. better. They They are are Policies Policies section section of www.ukip.org of www.ukip.org suffering suffering not not just just from from complexity complexity in benefits in benefits and and EU-driven EU-driven energy energy price price rises rises but but also also from from the the great great indignity indignity of means of means testing. testing. Meanwhile Meanwhile the the 9 9 Welfare & & UK UK is staring is staring into into a pensions a pensions black black hole hole created created by Labour’s by Labour’s huge huge expansion expansion of the of the public public Social Security sector sector and and that that party’s party’s vicious vicious removal removal of divi- of dividenddend tax tax credits credits for for private private pensions. pensions. Without Without The The UK’s UK’s current current welfare welfare system system is ridiculously is ridiculously urgent urgent redress, redress, Britain Britain will will be be bankrupted bankrupted by a by a complicated complicated and and requires requires an army an army of bureaucrats of bureaucrats commitment commitment it cannot it cannot hope hope to honour. to honour. UKIP UKIP will: will: to administer. to administer. There There are are more more than than 70 70 separate separate benefits, benefits, each each requiring requiring masses masses of forms of forms and and · Simplify · Simplify pensions pensions and and remove remove unnecessary unnecessary helping helping to entrench to entrench dependency. dependency. UKIP’s UKIP’s propospropos- and and degrading degrading means means testing testing for for our our senior senior alsals will will humanise humanise the the system system and and help help people people to to citizens. citizens. We We will will roll roll existing existing state state pensions, pensions, help help themselves themselves out out of the of the poverty poverty trap. trap. UKIP UKIP will: will: Pensions Pensions Credit Credit and and the the Winter Winter Fuel Fuel Allowance Allowance into into a flat-rate, a flat-rate, non-means non-means tested, tested, non-contribnon-contrib- · Roll · Roll the the mass mass of existing of existing benefits benefits into into simpler simpler utoryutory and and non-taxable non-taxable Citizen’s Citizen’s Pension Pension worth worth categories, categories, while while ensuring ensuring every every UK UK citizen citizen at least at least £130 £130 a week a week for for all pensioners all pensioners aged aged 65 65 receives receives a simple, a simple, non-means non-means tested tested ‘Basic ‘Basic Cash Cash and and over. over. There There will will be be no no reductions reductions for for those those Benefit’ Benefit’ (BCB) (BCB) with with personal personal savings savings or a or private a private pension. pension. People People whose whose existing existing entitlement entitlement to state to state or or · Roll · Roll key key benefits benefits - such - such as Jobseeker’s as Jobseeker’s AllowAllow- public public sector sector pension pension is more is more than than £130 £130 a week a week ance,ance, Incapacity Incapacity Benefit Benefit and and Student Student MainteMainte- will will continue continue to receive to receive the the higher higher amount. amount. The The nancenance Grant Grant - into - into a single, a single, flat-rate flat-rate BCB BCB set set at at Citizen’s Citizen’s Pension Pension will will be be payable payable to all to UK all UK citiciti- the the same same weekly weekly rate rate as Jobseeker’s as Jobseeker’s Allowance Allowance zens,zens, including including those those who who have have worked worked abroad abroad or Income or Income Support. Support. For For students, students, the the BCB BCB will will be be termed termed ‘Student ‘Student Vouchers’ Vouchers’ or ‘Training or ‘Training Vouchers’ Vouchers’ · Target · Target pension pension contributions’ contributions’ tax tax relief relief at low at low and and average average earners, earners, reducing reducing the the annual annual limit limit for for · Allow · Allow part-time part-time and and temporary temporary workers workers to to tax-relievable tax-relievable pension pension contributions contributions to £10,000 to £10,000 continue continue claiming claiming BCB BCB until until their their wages wages reach reach gross gross from from the the current current £255,000 £255,000 (compensating (compensating UKIP’s UKIP’s proposed proposed £11,500 £11,500 personal personal allowance allowance so so for for higher higher earners’ earners’ flat flat tax tax advantages) advantages) they they can can take take jobs jobs without without being being heavily heavily penalised penalised by the by the system system · Reinstate · Reinstate the the dividend dividend tax tax credit credit at 20% at 20% · Merge · Merge Child Child Benefit, Benefit, the the Child Child Trust Trust Fund, Fund, Child Child · Bring · Bring generous generous unfunded unfunded public public sector sector final final Tax Tax Credits Credits and and the the Education Education Maintenance Maintenance salary salary pensions pensions back back into into line line with with typical typical private private Allowance Allowance into into an enhanced an enhanced Child Child Benefit, Benefit, paypay- pension pension provision. provision. Calculations Calculations show show a fund a fund of of ableable for for each each of the of the first first three three children children in a in family a family around around £1,000bn £1,000bn is required is required to cover to cover the the future future liabilities liabilities of public of public sector sector schemes. schemes. This This is simply is simply · Merge · Merge Early Early Years’ Years’ Funding, Funding, Sure Sure Start, Start, the the unsustainable. unsustainable. UKIP UKIP will will freeze freeze public public sector sector penpen- childcare childcare element element of Working of Working Tax Tax Credit Credit and and the the sions,sions, reflecting reflecting today’s today’s challenging challenging economic economic tax tax relief relief on Employer on Employer Nursery Nursery Vouchers Vouchers into into a a conditions conditions flat-rate, flat-rate, non-means non-means tested tested ‘Nursery ‘Nursery Voucher’ Voucher’ to to cover cover approximately approximately half half the the cost cost of a of full-time a full-time nursery nursery place place “The British welfare system has become ridiculously complicated” ukip.org Straight talking. 9
Page 1 and 2: UKIP Manifesto April 2010 Empowerin
Page 3 and 4: Introduction Time for Common Sense
Page 5 and 6: and airport links. The lion’s sha
Page 7: 5 Defence Over the years, successiv
Page 11 and 12: shown to be unreliable, UKIP will p
Page 13 and 14: 14 The Constitution & How We Are Go
Page 15 and 16: shameful discarding of dead fish -

UKIP Manifesto Empowering the people

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