Govt 'incompetent, out of touch and unaccountable' - Labour

Labour leader Mr Pat Rabbitte has accused the Government of being "incompetent, out of touch and unaccountable".

Delivering the opening address at a meeting of the parliamentary party in Wexford, Mr Rabbitte said the Taoiseach and his ministers had made a "mockery" of parliament in the quality of their decision-making and their lack of accountability.

He accused the Government of deliberately obstructing the work of the Laffoy commission on child abuse and instituting a series of actions to prevent those who were abused from having the right to face their abuser.

He said the Government was attempting to introduce the sampling method - whereby only a sample of abuse cases would be heard - on pretext of saving taxpayers' money when in reality it would drive hundreds of victims into the courts and cost the taxpayer a lot more.

"Having promised that structures would be put in place to enable the truth to be faced, however painful that was, the Government is instead bent on ensuring that the truth will never emerge in the great majority of cases," the Labour leader said.

Mr Rabbitte attacked the Coalition over its handling of the econonmy, saying the Government's only economic plan was to wait and see what happens.

"They will weep crocodile tears at every announcement of job losses," he said, "while trying to prepare the media to accept that this is an inevitable outcome of the international downturn for which they bear no responsibility".

"They will further screw down the amount available for investment in essential public services in the estimates and budget, while proclaiming that they have the interests of the old the sick and the handicapped at heart," he said.

The Labour leader accused the Government of pursuing "an unplanned, ad hoc campaign of privatisation, assuring us all that it is in the interests of competition and consumers."

The two-day meeting of the Labour parliamentary party began this afternoon at the Ferrycarrig Hotel.

TDs and senators are due be given a detailed assessment of the current economic situation in the run-up to the budget.

Plans for a major recruitment initiative are also to be finalised at the meeting. Members will also hear details of planning for the elections next year.