Fianna Fáil calls for reversal of ‘savage cuts’ to pensioners

Fianna Fail has demanded that Minister for Finance Michael Noonan awards extra payments in next month's Budget to the country's old-age pensioners to reverse years of "savage cuts".

The party’s finance spokesman Michael McGrath said following the “savage cuts of recent years” there needs to be an increase of €5 per week to the State pension.

"It will come down to choices at the end of the day. We believe it speaks to our values as a country if we look after our older citizens and if given the opportunity we will do that," he said, speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland.

“We make no apologies for prioritising the needs of elderly people who have taken really savage cuts in the past few years - the household benefits package, the telephone allowance was taken away, the reduction in electricity units, prescription charges.”

Mr McGrath said Fianna Fáil supported Minister for Housing Simon Coveney's Rebuilding Ireland programme and wants to see its rapid implementation.

“The priority is to relieve the immediate crisis in terms of rent support and housing assistance payments. We need to see money provided now in the budget to back that up,” he said.

“Overall we need to see capital investment prioritised once again. If we are to build a sustainable economy with an infrastructure to support all the good jobs announcements being made today then we are going to have to invest in broadband and roads.”

When questioned about the ongoing dispute at Dublin Bus, Mr McGrath said there was no substitute for talking and management and unions needed to sit down with the support of the Minister for Transport to work out a deal "to avoid the kind of disruption we've seen in recent weeks".

When asked whether the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan should go before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to give evidence on the Project Eagle sale, Mr McGrath said that was a matter for the PAC.

“Nama officials will be coming before it shortly. If any individual is invited to attend and give evidence then they should do so and that includes any Minister of the Government or any official of a state body.

"The PAC is a Dáil committee, probably the most powerful committee in the Oireachtas. It has a key role in scrutinising the Comptroller and Auditor General reports and if the members feel that work will be enhanced by having the Minister before them to give testimony then I'm sure the Minister has nothing to fear from that."

Seperately, Fianna Fail’s spokesman on Housing, Planning and Local Government Barry Cowen has denied the party has done a U-turn on water charges.

He told RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke Show the party’s position had not changed since the election.

His party colleague Thomas Byrne, spokesman on Education and Skills, told Newstalk Breakfast that “water charges are gone and they’re not coming back.

“We’re satisfied that we’ve dealt with water charges in a way that broadly meets the approval of most people.

“We’ll look at the expert commission report when it comes out, but at the moment there’s no majority possible in the Dáil to reintroduce water charges. That’s the political reality.”