WHAT THE HELL HAVE THE LIB DEMS DONE?

Lots of people have asked us what the Lib Dems have achieved in government so far? Here we compare some of the achievements with the 2010 manifesto commitments.  Please let us know what you think on todmordenlibdems@btinternet.com.

Delivered on the key Lib Dem pledge of a £2.5bn pupil premium to bring extra funding to disadvantaged students

Lib Dem Manifesto p.34 – We will increase the funding of the most disadvantaged pupils, around one million children. We will invest £2.5bn in this Pupil Premium to boost education opportunities for every child.

Announced tougher action on homophobic bullying in schools, with new plans laid out in the schools White Paper

Lib Dem Manifesto p.35 – We will confront bullying, including homophobic bullying, and include bullying prevention in teacher training

Announced that wheel-clamping on private land will be banned

Lib Dem Manifesto p.54 – We will stop private sector wheel-clamping.

Forced the Tories to make key changes to the Health Bill, protecting the NHS and giving patients more say in its running

Lib Dem Manifesto p.43 – Giving every patient the right to choose to register with the GP they want, without being restricted by where they live.

Backed a deal to compensate people who lost their money through the Equitable Life scandal, ending years of Government stalling

Lib Dem Manifesto p.18 – Meeting the government’s obligations towards Equitable Life policyholders who have suffered loss. We will set up a swift, simple, transparent and fair payment scheme.

Expanded access to talking therapies for those suffering mental illness, including for the first time children and adolescents

Lib Dem Manifesto p.41 – We will improve access to counselling for people with mental health problems, by continuing the roll-out of cognitive and behavioural therapies.

Met the manifesto commitment to provide a week of respite care to almost one million carers who work over 50 hours a week

Lib Dem Manifesto p.52 – We will offer a week’s respite for the one million carers who spend 50 hours every week looking after a sick relative.

Ensured the Government maintained the commitment to end child poverty by 2020

Lib Dem Manifesto p.50 – Maintain the commitment to end child poverty in the UK by 2020.

Supported plans to end the compulsory retirement age

Lib Dem Manifesto p.52 – Scrap compulsory retirement ages, allowing those who wish to continue in work to do so.

Have taken 880,000 low earners out of income tax altogether through the key Lib Dem policy of raising the basic income tax threshold

Lib Dem Manifesto p.18 – We will increase the income tax threshold to £10,000.

Met a manifesto pledge to introduce a banking levy that will raise £2.5bn a year

Lib Dem Manifesto p.22 – We will introduce a Banking Levy, so that banks pay for their tax-payer guarantee, until the break-up is complete.

Announced a ban on any new coal-fired power stations without Carbon Capture and Storage technology

Lib Dem Manifesto p.59 – Block any new coal-fired power stations – the most polluting form of power generation – unless they are accompanied by the highest level of carbon capture and storage facilities.

Ensured the overseas aid budget was protected from cuts – raising it to £11.5bn over the next four years

Lib Dem Manifesto p.62 – We will increase the UK’s aid budget to reach the UN target of 0.7% of GNI by 2013.

Secured a judicial inquiry into Britain’s role in torture and rendition

Lib Dem Manifesto p.68 – We will hold a full judicial inquiry into allegations of British complicity in torture and state kidnapping as part of a process to restore Britain’s reputation for decency and fairness.

Lobbied the Chancellor to increase Capital Gains Tax to 28% for higher rate taxpayers whilst keeping it at 18% for basic rate taxpayers

Lib Dem Manifesto p.14 – We will tax capital gains at the same rates as income, so that all the money you make is taxed in the same way.

Backed the scrapping of burdensome Home Information Packs – but retaining the requirement for homes to have an energy performance certificate

Lib Dem Manifesto p.78 – We will scrap burdensome Home Information Packs, retaining the requirement for homes to have an energy performance certificate.

Pushed for an end to the controversial ContactPoint database for school children, which was switched off on 6 August 2010

Lib Dem Manifesto p.94 – We will scrap the intrusive ContactPoint database which is intended to hold the details of every child in England.

Completed first stage of a manifesto pledge to raise the basic income tax threshold to £10,000, making most workers £200 better off from April 2011

Lib Dem Manifesto p.18 – We will increase the income tax threshold to £10,000

Announced a £900m crackdown on tax avoidance and evasion

Lib Dem Manifesto p.14 – We will tackle tax avoidance and evasion, with new powers for HMRC

Announced the end of child detention for immigration purposes

Lib Dem Manifesto p.76 – We will end the detention of children in immigration detention centres.

Restored the link between pensions and earnings, scrapped by Margaret Thatcher, in the Coalition’s first budget

Lib Dem Manifesto p.18 – We will immediately restore the link between the basic state pension and earnings. We will uprate the state pension annually by whichever is the higher of growth in earnings or 2.5%.

Ensured there is no replacement of the costly Trident nuclear weapons system this Parliament

Lib Dem Manifesto p.17 – We will pay down the deficit by saying no to the like-for-like replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons system.

Ensured the expensive and impractical ID cards programme has been scrapped

Lib Dem Manifesto p.16 – We will scrap ID cards.

Fulfilled a manifesto pledge to scrap the rule compelling people to buy a pension annuity at 75

Lib Dem Manifesto p.18 – We will give people control over their pension by scrapping the rule that compels you to buy an annuity when you reach age 75.

Successfully pushed for dementia research to be prioritised within health research and development

Lib Dem Manifesto p.41 – We will prioritise dementia research within the health research and development budget.

Set up an independent commission on separating risky banking from high street banking, reporting back by September 2011

Lib Dem Manifesto p.22 – We will break up the banks, to ensure taxpayers are never again expected to underwrite high-risk banking.

Mapped out the Government’s path to renewable energy to 2050, including massive investment in low carbon electricity

Lib Dem Manifesto p.58 – We will set out a clear renewable route map to 2050, covering grid access and investment in electricity networks.

Created a UK wide Green Investment Bank, which will put more money into green infrastructure

Lib Dem Manifesto p.24 – To help the transition to a green economy over the longer term, we will set up a United Kingdom Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) to attract private finance

Backed Coalition plans for a Superfast Broadband Future including a digital hub in every community

Lib Dem Manifesto p.26 – Support public investment in the roll-out of superfast broadband, targeted first at those areas which are least likely to be provided for by the market

Met a manifesto pledge to extend the right to flexible working for parents

Lib Dem Manifesto p.30 – We will extend the right to request flexible working to all employees