FINE GAEL PLAN:FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny has called on the Government to scrap the National Development Plan (NDP), which he claims is filled with political targets that are "unachievable" in the present economic climate.
Mr Kenny was speaking in Limerick yesterday where his party unveiled a 13-point plan aimed at tackling unemployment in the midwest region.
“[The NDP] contains a wish list for every Fianna Fáil member in the country. It’s never going to be achieved in the way that it was written and I think that they should scrap it,” he said.
“I think it needs to be reprioritised, and front-loaded for the labour-intensive projects that are in there. It’s very important that if Government says that jobs are the priority, let’s get on with this. I would welcome the fact that the Government would reprioritise it and get people back to work.”
Mr Kenny said he had no confidence in the Government’s ability to get the country through the current economic crisis but refused to call for a general election, and instead said his party was ready to fight an election if one was “caused or called”.
He ruled out a “national government” similar to that created by the Tallaght strategy in the 1980s.
“There won’t be a national government because the Government has a clear majority . . . for instance they put through their economic proposals for cutbacks of €2 billion this week, we voted against that,” he said.
Mr Kenny was visiting Limerick yesterday to outline his strategy to support the midwest region where more than 2,000 jobs have been lost in recent weeks.
The proposals include a new Centre For Energy Innovation and a company support programme.
Mr Kenny also called on the Government to release the committed funding to ensure the Limerick Regeneration Project can start at once and said people needed to “see action on the ground”.
He insisted that the multi-agency taskforce for Limerick and the midwest, which is due to meet next Monday, should be expanded to include an IDA representative and believes Limerick should be a priority for it over the coming months. Other proposals include a ring-fenced budget to market Shannon Airport.