February 03, 2010 RSS

Taoiseach is engaging in abracadabra economics, wishing away unemployment figures, Gilmore tells Cowen

The latest unemployment figures show almost 440,000 people on the live register with 319 people losing their jobs everyday and despite the message from Fianna Fail that we are turning a corner into economic recovery, there is very little sign of it, the Labour Leader Eamon Gimore TD told the Dáil this morning.

Speaking during Leaders' Questions Eamon added: "The Taoiseach seems to think that he can wish away the number of people who are out of work because of the number of days and so on they are on the live register. If he wants to go into the figures, there are also people who are unemployed but not on the live register because they no longer receive benefits and they are no longer reflected in the figures.

Read the full article »

Permanent link | Comments (0) | Posted in Finance

February 02, 2010

An investment in education is an investment in recovery

Yesterday was the deadline date for CAO submissions and today we learned applications are well up on previous years with two applications for every college place.

This issue was raised during Leaders' Questions in the Dáil this afternoon when the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore reminded the Government that Labour has argued time and time again that additional places in higher and further education are needed to meet the needs of those who have lost their job.

Read the full article »

Permanent link | Comments (0) | Posted in Education • Finance • leadersquestions

January 27, 2010

Government won't rule out another savage attack on public pay

Yesterday's Leaders' Questions in the Dáil saw the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore question the Tanaiste about whether the Government will pursue a third pay cut from low-paid public servants, the Tanaiste did not give a straight answer and once again Eamon pursued the Tanaiste today to respond to his question.

Citing the example of Mary, a clerical officer in the Department of Education, whose husband has lost his job and jobseeker's benefit has run out, Eamon explained in stark details how the pay cut has hit Mary's family hard.

Read the full article »

Permanent link | Comments (1) | Posted in eamongilmore • leadersquestions

January 26, 2010

Gilmore demands assurance on no more public sector pay cuts

By the end of this week, the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD told the Dáil this afternoon during Leaders' Questions, every employee of the State will have his or her pay cut for the second time in less than a year.

For those on €25,000 a year, this works out as €160 a month, a Garda or teacher in the middle of his or her scale will be down €400 a month while a staff nurse with 10 years experience will be cut by €560.

Read the full article »

Permanent link | Comments (1) | Posted in Finance • eamongilmore • leadersquestions

January 20, 2010

Gilmore continues to press Taoiseach on banking inquiry

In the Dáil today during Leaders' Questions the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD said the Government's proposals for a banking inquiry is not an inquiry into what went wrong with the banks and how we can learn from it

Our proposal, which is being debated again this evening during Private Members seeks a parliamentary inquiry similar to the DIRT inquiry.

Eamon called the Government's proposals 'unacceptable' saying they would only serve to cover the bad decisions made by the Taoiseach and the Government and would not deal with what went wrong in the banking system so that we can learn from it.

"Fianna Fail want a private inquiry. The rest of us want a public inquiry.

Read the full article »

Permanent link | Comments (0) | Posted in Finance • eamongilmore • leadersquestions • banks

January 19, 2010

Gilmore calls Government amendment on banking inquiry a 'scam'

Proceedings today in the House, the first day of the Dáil session, were dominated by the banks, from Leaders Questions this morning to the financial statements in the afternoon to this evening's Private Members' time which will debate a Labour Party motion seeking an inquiry into the Banks.

During Leaders' Questions this morning, the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD was strongly critical of the Government's amendment to this evening's motion describing it as a 'sham'. Eamon said the Government's amendment would see any inquiry being held in private with the Dáil excluded from the process.

Read the full article »

Permanent link | Comments (0) | Posted in Finance

January 14, 2010

BT Young Scientists Exhibition 2010

This afternoon the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD and Ruairi Quinn TD, our Education Spokesperson paid a visit to the BT Young Scientists Exhibition in Dublin's RDS. Ruairi has posted a few thoughts about the exhibition and education in general. Do let us know what you think in the comments section below. More images from this afternoon will be available soon on Flickr.

It was great to see the large numbers of young people at the Young Scientist exhibition in Dublin today. I was very impressed by the levels of enthusiasm and interest in science, particularly when it is often remarked how under-promoted the subject is. The students in our schools today are the key to Ireland's economic success tomorrow.

Read the full article »

Permanent link | Comments (0) | Posted in Education • ruairiquinn

January 13, 2010

Bill published to restore inquiry powers to committees

Speaking at a press conference today which announced the publication of a Bill which seeks to restore inquiry powers to Dáil Committees, the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD said the capacity to conduct inquiries into matters of public concern is a normal part of powers of parliaments in most democratic countries and it is important that the Oireachtas should be properly equipped with similar powers.

The capacity of the Dáil and Seanad through committees to conduct inquiries was thrown into doubt as a result of the 2002 decision of the Supreme Court in the Abbeylara case.

Read the full article »

Permanent link | Posted in