Fine Gael leader calls for realism

FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny called for realism in approaching the State’s economic difficulties.

He told the Dáil yesterday that following Wednesday’s all-party meeting, there was clarity on objectives and targets and agreement from Fine Gael and Labour.

“The Opposition parties have given a strong signal of clarity that they agree with the Government targets,” said Mr Kenny. “It is now time to get real.”

He expected, he said, that the Government would be serious about next week’s Dáil debate on the economy. They should “talk about the real issues that now face our country and our people and about the fact that our sovereign independence is at risk”.

Mr Kenny said the Government would have to see to it that money was borrowed in January, and that could not happen in the current circumstances.

He hoped, he said, the Government would outline its view of the overall adjustment that must be made over the next number of years, give an assessment of its growth projects, and the fiscal adjustment it expected to make in the December budget.

Tánaiste Mary Coughlan said the Cabinet would discuss the four-year budget and growth plan, “and in case people think this has not been happening . . . let us not forget that there has already been an adjustment of almost €14.5 billion over the last two years”.

Mr Kenny claimed there was now clearly a technical difference between the projections made by the Government and the ESRI. “The ESRI’s figure for adjustment for next year is €4 billion, to reach a 10 per cent level,” he said. “The figure being operated by the Department of Finance is obviously much higher and I am not at liberty to say that.”

Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan said Mr Kenny’s figures were wrong.

Mr Kenny said that if the Government expected the Opposition parties to be serious about preparations for a recovery plan the Dáil needed to know what the Government’s figures were.

Labour finance spokeswoman Joan Burton said the Government should provide indicative figures for next week’s debate.