On Wednesday the Dáil will return from an eight-week break, the shortest summer recess in several years. The Budget is expected to dominate proceedings, with the Government’s four-year “medium-term fiscal consolidation plan” due shortly. Also on the horizon is the publication of the Coalition’s comprehensive spending review.
As part of the memorandum of understanding between Ireland, the IMF and the EU, reform of the legal, medical and pharmaceutical professions to make them more competitive and cost-effective must take place by the end of the third fiscal quarter.
The Government’s plans to set up State water, telecoms and alternative-energy companies are also likely to be brought into focus by protests in Dublin this weekend, as will plans to reduce the number of special-needs assistants in schools. Other issues on the agenda include the Vatican’s rejection of accusations of interference in the Cloyne inquiry, as well as the deadline for presidential nominations, with speculation about possible Sinn Féin and Independent candidates. The election date, October 27th, will coincide with the Dublin West byelection and a referendum
on judges’ pay.
