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Updated 11.11pm
MICHAEL NOONAN HAS said the government will review its approach to discretionary medical cards after this week’s European and local elections.
The finance minister said action would not be taken on the matter this week to avoid it being dismissed as a “stunt”.
The review of medical cards has to be changed. We’re not going to do it before the election because we’d be accused, probably, of some kind of stunt. Shortly after the election that issue will be at rest, preparatory work has been done already.
The government has been sharply criticised recently after many people lost their rights to the cards.
Noonan was speaking at an event in Dublin this afternoon where he and outgoing MEP Gay Mitchell officially endorsed Fine Gael’s European election candidate in the capital, Brian Hayes.
Noonan said that he was initially “disappointed” when he found out that Hayes, who is the junior minister at the department of finance, was going to run for a seat in Europe.
He said Hayes was the right person for the job but, if elected, it would mean a huge loss to the both department and him personally.
Hayes returned the favour, describing Noonan as the “glue” that holds Fine Gael and Labour together.
He also welcomed Noonan’s recent promise of income tax breaks in this and next year’s budgets.
“More money in people’s pockets will encourage spending in the domestic economy which only incentivises job creation. The best and fairest economic stimulus of all is a tax cut. Supporting job growth must remain the clear focus of government and tax breaks for people at work is the logical next step,” Hayes stated.
He added that many emigrants are not coming home due to our “penal” tax rates.
Noonan denied Labour’s poor showing in recent polls was a cause for concern, saying all coalition ministers were doing “a very good job”.
Noonan said opinion polls often gave “contradictory” information during what is a “very volatile campaign”. He added that while out canvassing with Ireland South candidate he encountered “very little friction on the doorstep”.
We signed up for five years … our job is not finished.
He stressed the importance of voting in the local election, saying councillors “will decide how people’s taxes are spent”.
Mitchell, who has been an MEP for Dublin since 2004, said Hayes was the “right man” to send to Europe.
In the European Parliament it’s more to do with perseverance, networking, contact with the group you’re a member of. The European People’s Party, with which Fine Gael is affiliated, is the most respected and is going to be the biggest group [in the Parliament].
Mitchell said an effective MEP was someone who could negotiate and compromise, not a person who would always complain and ”jump up and down”.
- First published 4.16pm
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You could try longer Dail sessions/less holidays for a start alex.
so here is a guy who has freely admitted that there is E.U law being passed without scrutiny ; that just about makes the E.U. totally illegal in Ireland !
I think the penny is finally dropping with the Irish People that our Govt and the EU don’t have our best interests at heart.
why do you say that Toby? because unfortunately ff and fg are still
topping polls.
Because Richard, the polls are indicating that the recommendation made by the Govt is being questioned by the Irish People.
Huh? Toby the most recent one I saw, fg were actually gaining points, There seems to have been a rise in ‘don’t knows’, but honestly that only ultimately contributes to fg’s gain.
hence my belief a need for DDI
Almost 40% said they wouldn’t vote for any party or independent. Those percentages are taken from the remaining 60%, that’s good news.
There’s a change coming.
These political tugs must for once recognise that Ireland is a sovereign nation and never will it be governed by Europe. I can see why they like the idea of outsourcing all government decisions to the EU, as it removes responsibility some what. Now debating is off the table, what next ? your right to speak.
The EU is just a monstrous undemocratic bureaucracy now pumping out legislation by the barrel-load.. all the while incapable of fixing itself. It fails to recognise that it is flawed fundamentally by half-assing federalisation (with the Euro especially).
It’s about time Ireland stopped drinking the “More EU” kool-aid and considered that perhaps the project has gone far enough (even too far) in some respects. That if we leave it to the Eurocrats in Brussels, they will not stop until the EU has all the federal powers of the US and the Fed, something we should not aspire to.
+billion of bit coins for that comment. Hats off to you sir, very well said.
Hear here !
Why not use the Senate all the time?
I’m sure reforms can improve its use. Pity we don’t have a preferendum.
Alex White is such a lemming. He’s too boring to think about. I give up.
Wow we have a guy in Government who doesn’t understand the difference between the words “everything and “anything”…
You could all get off ya holes and bring this country out of the hell hole FF got it into.
Too bloody busy digging a bigger hole! A tunnel if you will, light at the end not included.
Neither the Dail nor the Seanad actually debate anything. The government of the day uses the guillotine to push through their legislation – and we call this a democracy.
You would warn. A Child not to sign anything without understanding its relevance
Send the directives back and tell them when you get a chance you will look at them ,that’s what you tell us when when you are engaging
The Fine Gael/Labour Programme for Government, 2011-2016 (from which the following extract is taken) may help – if anyone bothers to read it:
“Transposing EU Legislative Measures
The situation can no longer be tolerated where Irish Ministers enact EU legislation by statutory instrument. The checks and balances of parliamentary democracy are by-passed. The parliamentary treatment accorded home-produced draft legislation must be extended to draft legislation initiated within the EU institutions.
The Regulatory Impact Assessments prepared for Ministers on all EU Directives and significant Regulations will be forwarded automatically to the relevant sectoral Oireachtas Committees. These Committees should advise the Minister and the Joint Committee on European Affairs as to whether the transposition should take place by Statutory Instrument or by primary legislation. Where primary legislation is recommended the full Oireachtas plenary process should be followed.”
So they have proposed a policy that defies their job description ; That means no citizen is required to pay tax ! Tax Strike !
Maybe if the Dail didn’t spend so long on holidays more could be debated Mr. White…..
some awful EU Directives have been accepted the EU Treaty Rights for starters…..mostly in immigration, people in sham marriages with EU nationals were required to live in the EU nationals country (ie latvia, poland etc) before they could live in Ireland thus very few sham marriages existed however the EU removed that as a directive ands its open season
I disagree.
How democratic! Underlines the need – despite its major shortcomings – to retain and reform the Seanad to tackle this issue. A reformed Seanad should not have the whip system. That way it can revise and scrutinise legislation without political heavies leaning on them.
have your say