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FIANNA FÁIL’S SEAN Fleming has said next week’s Budget won’t pass if Fine Gael do not honour the supply and confidence agreement between the two parties.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Sean O’Rourke programme today, Fleming said his party did not want to see any surprises from Fine Gael next Tuesday.
We have this supply and confidence arrangement and it will be shown in next week in the Budget if they comply with that agreement – the split between taxation and expenditure – and there are no shocks or surprises to Fianna Fáil on the day of the Budget, the Budget will pass.
If they breach those agreements, the Budget won’t pass.
Fleming’s warning comes after a busy few weeks of negotiations which have been taking place between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, independents and Independent Alliance members in Cabinet.
The agreement states that Fianna Fáil will facilitate Budgets that are “consistent with the agreed policy principles” within the confidence document.
State pension
Fianna Fáil’s main ask is an increase of €5 to the old age pension. Today, Leo Varadkar confirmed there will be an increase in the State pension.
Other demands have been an increase in the so-called “burial-grant” as well as changes to the inheritance tax regime that will benefit childless couples and single people.
However, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe was quick to point out today that the supply and confidence agreement is to span across three Budgets.
“We have to work this budget in a new political context,” Donohe said.
He sounded a warning that not everyone is going to get what they want.
This is an agreement with Fianna Fáil across three budgets with a review period after those three budgets. We will see progress in delivering those priorities next Tuesday…
And in the budget that I’m working with everybody on delivering it will make progress on delivering all of those commitments, but we cannot deliver on all of those commitments in a single budget.
Discussions ongoing
He said the Budget was by no means done and dusted today.
“We have a significant amount of work ahead of us, we are still engaged in discussions and negotiations with a number of members of Cabinet.
“We will be bringing some of that to closure now soon. I remain confident we will see a passage of a Budget next week that will be fair.”
Despite expectations that this evening’s Cabinet meeting would be used to sign-off on the Budget, that is now looking more unlikely.
While there have been messages sent back and forth, due to ongoing meetings with all parties, Ministers Donohoe and Noonan have yet to meet the Independent Alliance today.
Today’s Cabinet meeting is now expected to be relatively short, with negotiations set to continue into tonight, tomorrow and possibly the weekend.
One minister that is happy to have secured her Budget asks is Katherine Zappone.
Last night, after over 19 days of discussions, an agreement was reached on a childcare package with Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone.
Over the last couple of weeks the minister has made no apology that she favoured the package benefitting lower income families first.
However, criticism has been levelled at government that not enough is being done for the “squeezed middle”.
Childcare package agreed
“The development of a new childcare policy to tackle issues in relation to affordability and the quality of childcare has long been recognised now as an issue more progress needs to be made on,” said Donohoe.
“We are going to make more progress on that next week I believe – and I am now in the process of working with Minister Zappone to finalise how we will do that.”
The Cabinet is to meet at 6.30pm this evening to discuss the forthcoming budget.
It’s understood that Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar and Minister for Health Simon Harris have yet to agree on their department allocations.
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Always thought those claims were a little sketchy…
Typical American culture . They would lose weight by the very nature they might get up off their asses and do some walking in the damn things !
What sort of fool thinks shoes alone make you lose weight ? Oh right I’ll get the trainers and sit on the sofa eating nachos . If used for the purpose designed they can only be good .
My orthopedic surgeon actually recommended those Shape-Up shoes to me after a knee op. The curve of the sole is supposed to stop you from placing too much strain on any one part of the knee when standing for prolonged periods of time. I have to say, they seemed to do the trick for me.
I had a hip repair at the age of 52 and I found the these were the making of me I can walk so well with them I have not worn anything else since in almost 2 years and my recovery was so much easier because of the shape. I was using a stick to walk and was getting pain on short walks but within about 3-4 weeks I could walk for about an hour2 years on has anyone got any suggestions for my shoulder had a repair done with that but my sketchers will not fit the shoulder
Will there ever be a day when politicians can be fined for false and misleading claims?
:)
We wish
Was reading through the comments and thought to myself its nice not to read a post tying this article to the government and then I came across your one! ok ya we get it the government is shit but do ye need to constantly give out about them on unrelated articles?
Yip I wear nothing but MBTs or Skechers since getting 2 new hips and 2 new knees and am flying on them. Regular flat sole shoes puts way too much stress on the join and leaves muscles mort fatigued. They are pricey, but you can always shop about!
I don’t think companies in Ireland can get fined for misleading or false claims in adverts. Advertising Authority can only make them withdraw their adverts
But they did work for me I would not wear anything else now I have A pair of the shape up runners a black pair of black and a pair of White shoes all shape ups and I have 3 pair of the flip flops. So so comfortable and as someone said in an earlier post you can only shape up by doing exercise by getting up off the chair and doing some but I found that my sketchers help a great deal because I find them to be so comfortable
I wear Mephistos. They help me to lose weight because I have to work so many more hours to pay for them.
Sketchers don’t really care. The have dropped that shoe and are at it again with a new range of ‘conceptual shoes’. They probably make more than $40m profit in Irl & UK alone.
The US trade commission will probably go after Reebok Easytone next. Their ads were banned for the same reason. Apparently all their claims were based on a survey that one guy was paid to write.
The only footwear company who seem to have genuine scientific research is a small Swiss science company called SpringBoost, but they run the risk of vanishing into obscurity because they don’t have the marketing clout to cope with these big footwear companies dodgy advertising. Apparently, im some country’s you can get SpringBoost on the local VHI health scheme. Can’t see that happening in Ireland.
Shite shoes
great shoes 40euros in barrets in town
I thought that was they were supposed to do??! My bad!!
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