THE ECONOMY and job creation will dominate the two-day Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting in Galway which begins this afternoon.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan, and Minister for Enterprise Richard Bruton will be the main speakers during today’s main session.
Contributions will also be made by Prof John Fitzgerald of the ESRI, who will give an overview of the economy, and by Patrick Kennedy the chief executive of Paddy Power bookmakers.
The main session tomorrow will focus on the presidential election campaign with party candidate Gay Mitchell addressing fellow TDs, Senators and MEPs.
Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter and Norah Gibbons, head of advocacy at Barnardos will also speak at a session geared towards child protection and the planned referendum on children’s rights.
Separately, Roscommon TD Denis Naughten yesterday indicated that he is unlikely to rejoin the Fine Gael parliamentary party in the short to medium term.
Mr Naughten has removed all references to Fine Gael from his website and literature and yesterday said that he was, de facto, operating as an Independent TD. He also said the Fine Gael organisation in Roscommon had “fallen apart” and was non-operational in the county as a result of the controversy over emergency services at its hospital.
Mr Naughten said that unlike other TDs who had lost the party whip in the past he had been afforded no chance to address colleagues before the whip was removed after he refused to support the Government line on a Dáil vote on Roscommon hospital.
He argued that Fine Gael had made very clear commitments about the hospital before the election and had not honoured them.
“From a historical perspective, Fine Gael acted very quickly to throw me out of the parliamentary party.”
He said that his rejoining the parliamentary party was now a matter for Fine Gael and for the Minister for Health. “It depends on what type of package they are putting up in Roscommon and whether they will honour the commitment prior to the election.
“I made my position crystal clear to the party well in advance of any private member’s motion.”