Gilmore pushes Cowen on bail-out contacts

Posted on November 16, 2010

'I want to ask the Taoiseach what is going on', the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD told the House this afternoon during Leaders' Questions.

"We need to get some clarity... What type of contacts have been taking place between the European institutions and the Government over the course of the weekend?

"Were they at Central Bank level, official level or Ministerial level? Has there been any suggestion from European sources that some assistance is to be provided to the State or is it the case, as is being speculated in this morning's newspapers, that what is now being discussed is in effect another bailout for the banks, this time through the European institutions?

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Gilmore tells Cowen 'your judgement is wrong'

Posted on November 09, 2010

Leaders' Questions today saw the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD question the Taoiseach about the Government's decision last week to cut the 2011 Budget by €6 billion.
Deputy Gilmore said the Government's plan doesn't appear to have greatly impressed the markets.

"There was a cut of €4 billion last year and no growth resulted. It is intended to have a cut of €6 billion in next year's budget and the Government expects growth of 1.75%.

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Gilmore questions Taoiseach about HSE redundancy plan concerns

Posted on November 02, 2010

The short time frame for the Government's proposed HSE redundancy scheme was raised today during Leaders' Questions by the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD.

Deputy Gilmore said the issue is not whether there should be a voluntary scheme, something Labour has advocated since the publication of our policy document on the reform of the HSE (which you can download in our policy section); but the time scale which the scheme is proposed to be carried out.

"The issue is that having delayed until now to bring forward the scheme, is it practical to have t carried out in this short timeframe?

"Are these dates, 19th November and 30th November, absolute, or is it intended that if practical difficulties encountered in the scheme, the dates will be extended."

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Cowen can't answer key questions on Budget

Posted on October 27, 2010

Once again when questioned by the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD, the Taoiseach refused to answer questions regarding key information which would be vital to a proper debate on the economy.

"The House is due to take statements on the macro-economic and fiscal outlook, it will be difficult to debate such a matter in the absence of the information," Eamon told the House during Leaders' Questions this morning.

Eamon specifically referred to not being given the definitive growth forecast for next year, the detailed macro-economic growth forecast for the next four years, including forecasts and projections relating to consumption, investment, interest rates, wages, export, imports and unemployment.

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Gilmore asks Cowen to publish key Budget figures

Posted on October 20, 2010

"We do want to have a responsible discussion about the economic and financial situation but one cannot have it in a vacuum. Basic information needs to be provided," the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD said today.

He made the comments during Leaders' Questions this morning when he asked Cowen to publish key Budget figures.

"The first piece of information we need to know is what are the growth forecasts for next year and if we are to have a four-year budgetary plan we also need to know the forecasts for the four years.

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Govt wants Opposition to sort out its mess, says Gilmore

Posted on October 19, 2010

"The Government got us into this mess and every prediction and projection made over the last two and a half years has been incorrect and dramatically incorrect in most cases," the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD said today during Leaders' Questions in the Dáil.

Gilmore was questioning the Taoiseach on how the Government has calculated the figures for budgetary adjustments so wrong saying the extent to which they are wrong is "utterly astonishing".

He went on to question Cowen's credibility 'having got it wrong so often, repeatedly and so dramatically'.

"The Taoiseach wants the Opposition to solve the problem for him, he wants the people of the country to pay for it and meanwhile he wants to stay in office. Does he seriously expect us to agree to this?

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Cowen admits €50m spent on electronic voting is gone

Posted on October 06, 2010

Leaders' Questions this morning saw the Taoiseach admit under pressure from the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD that the €50m spent on electronic voting is gone. Gilmore called the spending 'part of a pattern of waste which was taking shape at that time'.

He said: "I want to ask the Taoiseach two questions in regard to this matter. First, will he confirm to the House that the €50m is gone, that we will not see it again and, as the spokesperson from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government stated yesterday, the money will not be recoved?

"Second will he finally acknowledge this was an appalling waste of money, a fact which nobody in Government has ever acknowledged?

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Taxpayer paying the price for Fianna Fail's failure

Posted on September 30, 2010

"This is the price of failure," Eamon Gilmore Leader of the Labour Party told the House this morning during the Order of Business referring to the fact that the taxpayers will be paying the price of Fianna Fail's failure on the bank bailout.

"We have now been told the final bill. This is the price of failure. It is the price of the property bubble, of the light regulation that Fianna Fáil has presided over, of bad government and of the blanket bank guarantee.

"It is the bill that Fianna Fáil is leaving to the people of this country. It amounts to between €45 billion and €50 billion."

You can read all the proceedings from the House on the Oireachtas website and view Eamon's contribution on the video.

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Cowen refuses to divulge cost of Anglo

Posted on September 29, 2010

The first Leaders' Questions of the Dáil term saw the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD demanded that the Taoiseach tell the House the final figure for Anglo Irish Bank.

"It is extraordinary that the Taoiseach tells us that he does not know the figure that will be announced tomorrow and that it has not been finalised yet. Is that the way the financial affairs of the country are being run?

"Is the Taoiseach seriously telling us that the Government has made a decision to come in here and ask for another extension on the guarantee without knowing where we are in terms of the cost of the last one and, in particular, where we are in regard to the Anglo Irish Bank figure?

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Labour on course to lead next Government says Gilmore

Posted on September 24, 2010

In the accompanying audio clip News At One's Sean O'Rourke interviews Eamon Gilmore TD on the implications for Labour following the TV3 poll.

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