29th June 2009

The Conservatives Would Cut Investment And Scrap Guarantees

Issue

  • Under David Cameron families would have no guarantees on health, education and tackling crime - instead they would face a market-driven gamble.
Key points

  • The Conservative approach to public services is:

    • To cut investment by ?£ 5 billion this year, and 10 per cent in future;
    • To walk on by - abandoning Labour's commitment to stand by people through the downturn.
  • For families worried about their jobs and homes in the downturn:

    • They would scrap the guarantee of a job or training place for every young person out of work for more than a year;
    • They would scrap the guarantee of a breathing space for homeowners at risk of losing their home.
  • In health:

    • They would scrap your right to see a specialist within two weeks if your GP suspects you may have cancer;
    • They would scrap your guarantee to wait no longer than 18 weeks for hospital treatment - before 1997, the Tories could give no guarantee of NHS treatment within 18 months;
    • They would make it harder to get access to your GP at weekends or in the evenings.
  • In education:

    • They refuse to match our 'September Guarantee' of a paid for place in education or training for every 16 and 17 year old who wants one;
    • And they would scrap the right of every young person to stay on in education or training to 18.
  • On law and order:

    • They would cut back the CCTV cameras that help make people feel safer;
    • They would weaken the police's ability to use DNA evidence to investigate and track down criminals.

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