Blog Archive
Budget 2013 - Warmer homes scheme maintained
Posted on December 10, 2012
Budget 2013 saw current spending being largely maintained at 2012 levels with Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.
There has been an increase in funding for the roll out of fast broadband to secondary schools by €1m (to €3m) as 200 more schools are provided with 100Mbps broadband bringing the total number of schools connected to 500 (the remaining 250 schools will be connected in 2014).
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Protecting education is a priority for the Government
Posted on December 07, 2012
Protecting education is a priority for the Government and many of the measures in Budget 2013 will protect the most vulnerable in our education system.
Class sizes have been protected for the 2013/14 and class sizes will be also be protected for free second-level schools. SNA numbers and resource teachers will be protected and there are no changes to the overall staffing or funding for DEIS schemes.
The subvention to fee-paying schools will be reduced through the change in class-size ratio from 21:1 to 23:1 from next September. This means that those who have most will pay most.
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Difficult Budget a bridge to the future - Gilmore
Posted on December 06, 2012
Today addressing the Dáil the Tánaiste said the Budget is a bridge to the future. He added the Government's mission is to fix the economy so that it works for the people. You can read what he said below or watch the speech in the accompanying video.
"This is a difficult budget, and it is a hard budget. It is a budget that will hit many people's pockets. But it is also a necessary budget, an honest budget, and a fair budget.
This budget is not an end in itself. It is step that, as a country, we need to take on the road to recovery. It is a bridge to the future
For weeks now, all we have heard from the opposition is fairytale economics.
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Leaders' Questions 6th December 2012
Posted on December 06, 2012
Leaders' Questions today taken by Minister Pat Rabbitte saw debate on yesterday's Budget. You can watch the entire debate on the accompanying video.
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Budget 2013 brings in €500m in taxes on wealth
Posted on December 06, 2012
Budget 2013 contains a wealth tax package worth half a billion euro; the proposals will target income and assets which are not captured in the PAYE system.
Some of the measures which will yield more than half a billion include:
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Difficult challenges are ahead of us but Ireland will prosper again - Howlin
Posted on December 05, 2012
Addressing the Dáil, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin said: "This Government continues to face a daunting challenge in repairing the economy and the public finances. Difficult decisions are still required. We are committed to meeting that challenge, and are confident that through good government we can lead Ireland back to independent funding and back to sustainable growth in living standards and in employment."
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Founding of the Labour Party in Clonmel 100 yrs ago a revolutionary act - Gilmore
Posted on December 03, 2012
Yesterday members of the Labour Party, TDs, Senators, MEPs and Cllrs gathered in Clonmel to mark the centenary of the Labour Party which was established in Clonmel in 1912. You can see photographs from the event on our Flickr account and below we have reproduced the speech delivered by the Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore. If you're interested in finding out more, do check out our Centenary website and timeline. All the images are available on Flickr and on Pinterest.
Comrades and Friends, we are gathered here today, in Clonmel, to celebrate the centenary of the Labour Party.
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Leaders' Questions, November 29th 2012
Posted on November 29, 2012
Leaders' Questions today taken by the Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore saw debate on hospital staffing and the property tax, you can watch the entire exchange on the accompanying video.
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Labour stands ready to legislate
Posted on November 28, 2012
Last night Minister of State Kathleen Lynch spoke in the Dáil about the publication of the Expert Group report on the A, B and C v Ireland judgement saying that Labour stands ready to legislate. You can see what she said in the accompanying video or read her speech which is detailed below. You can read the report at this link.
I wish to thank Deputy Daly and her colleagues for raising this important matter in the Dáil and for their valuable work in attempting to frame this complex legal and medical issue in a legislative proposal.
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Expert Group report published
Posted on November 27, 2012
The Expert Group report on the A, B and C v Ireland judgement by the ECHR published today by the Govenrment not only fulfilled a commitment made in the programme for Government but also outlined a timeline for action. This issue has been ongoing for 20 years and this is the first Government that has decided to deal with this sensitive issue properly.
We spoke to Deputy Ciara Conway about the report's publication and you can see what she said in the accompanying video.
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