July 02, 2009 RSS

Gilmore slams guillotine use

This morning's Order of Business in the Dáil saw Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore object to the Government's use of guillotine without full debate to push through legislation saying its use has been taken to new levels of "ridiculousness".

"By my count, there are 12 proposals involving a guillotine. Four of the items of legislation the House is being asked to deal with next week are entirely new and have not appeared before the House thus far.

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July 01, 2009

Cowen pressed on further jump in unemployment figures

"I was interested to hear the Taoiseach say that unemployment was rising but rising more slowly. That is the equivalent of saying we are sinking but sinking more slowly. We are sinking nevertheless.

"A total of 413,000 people out of work is a record, and the number has risen by about 200,000 since this time last year," the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD said this morning during Leaders' Questions in the Dáil.

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Permanent link | Comments (1) | Posted in Finance • Social & Family Affairs

June 30, 2009

Gilmore questions Taoiseach on social welfare cuts

The Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD once again raised serious delays for people accessing the services of Community Welfare Officers during Leaders' Questions in the Dáil this afternoon. He cited an example where claimants will have to wait until after July 13th for their claims to be dealt with.

He asked: "This is a service operating for people with no money. Does anyone in the Government understand what its like to have no money?

"One cannot use a credit card because one does not have one; one cannot go to the ATM because one does not have a bank account, or there is nothing in it. The only place one can go if one has no money is to a community welfare officer."

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June 25, 2009

Government buckles and concedes to Labour's demand for debate on IMF report

Today's Order of Business in the Dáil was dominated by Labour's demand for a debate on yesterday's damning IMF report. Led by Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD, our deputies demanded the House discuss the report and after an hour long debate the Government eventually buckled and conceded the need for time being given to the report.

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June 24, 2009

Community Welfare close to collapse, urgent action now

All over the country community welfare offices are being put under massive strain with the growing numbers of people joining the dole queues. As a result there have been long delays on recipients receiving payments and huge stress placed on social welfare staff.

This issue was raised today during Leaders' Questions by the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD who asked the Taoiseach what the Government is going to do to relieve the pressure on the social welfare system for both recipients and staff.

Eamon said the problem is the Community Social Welfare system is cracking under the strain due to the large number of people turning up and the impact of the Government recruitment embargo.

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June 23, 2009

Gilmore challenges Government decision to extend bank guarantee scheme indefinitely

Leaders' Questions this afternoon centered again on the Bank Guarantee Scheme when the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD challenged the Government's decision to extend the bank guarantee indefinitely.

Eamon said: "Buried away in part of schedule 2 of the bill (the Financial Measures Misc Provisions Bill which is being discussed in the Dáil this evening) is an amendment to the legislation which brought in the bank guarantee scheme. That amendment lifts the two year time limit on the scheme and gives power to the Minister for Finance to extend the guarantee by Ministerial Order for any period of time."

He went on to describe the guarantee scheme as a 'disaster to the taxpayer'.

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June 18, 2009

Labour launches Institutional Child Abuse Bill 2009

This afternoon we launched the Institutional Child Abuse Bill 2009 which attempts to acknowledge the failure of the State and of religious congregations to protect children from abuse, to recognise the pain and suffering endured by the former residents of institutions and that the Commission's report vindicates their claims of abuse and that crimes were committed by members of the religious congregations and others against children in State care.

Present at the launch were the party Deputy Leader Joan Burton TD, our Spokesperson on Education Ruairi Quinn TD and our Spokesperson on Justice Pat Rabbitte TD.

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June 17, 2009

Gilmore welcomes Archbishops's Education Forum initiative

The speech made by the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, where he said that it is no longer tenable to have the Catholic Church manage the vast majority of schools in the country, was raised today in the Dáil by Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD during Leaders' Questions.

Archbishop Martin suggested of the establishment of a National Forum on Education where discussions can take place over a period of time between the State, the Churches, the various educational interests, the various bodies who are currently patrons of schools or who wish to be patrons of schools and which can be open to hearing the views of the different stake holders in the education systems such as parents and teachers.

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Permanent link | Comments (0) | Posted in Education