Fine Gael leader Mr Enda Kenny today declared the Government "a sham" as he attacked it on a number of policies ranging from the health service to public finances.
To coincide with the first anniversary of the opening day of the general election campaign, Mr Kenny issued a long list of Government "broken promises", based on the manifestos of Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats and their joint Programme for Government.
"This Government has shown a naked disregard for the commitments they made to the Irish electorate" he said. "This Government is a sham and has failed the people.
"In vital areas like management of the finances, provision of health services, refurbishment or construction of schools and the protection of the public from criminals, this Government just can't deliver," the Fine Gael leader said.
Mr Kenny said the tax burden on the average worker had increased by €300 through indirect taxation and a failure to index link tax bands. The promise of lower inflation not being realised and a €3 billion deficit predicted for 2003 are further evidence of broken promises, he added.
He referred to the problems within the health service such as lengthening waiting lists and increasing bed closures. He also noted Fianna Fáil promised 200,000 new medical cards during the election campaign but so far "not one additional card has been issued".
Mr Kenny criticised the €88 million cut in capital spending on schools as an example of the Government's failure to live up to its commitments on education.
On crime, he ridiculed the election promise of 2,000 new gardaí, saying it would take 40 years to attain the figure based on training capacity at Templemore.