Budget Debate

Moore Mc Dowell Vs. Richard Bruton

Moore Mc Dowell
He doesn't believe the government will succeed but he will support them nevertheless. The government knew a few months ago that things were going to go wrong but they waited a few months before they actually did any thing.

For every £100 the government spends £50 goes on wages,£25 on social welfare and the rest on the provision of services. They have doubled their spending on health unfortunately most of this has gone on pay and therefore therefore there has been very little to show for this. They should cutback expenditure on wages by 50%.

In 1993 a report was published which stated we could get by with just 2 or 3 health boards yet the government increased the number of health boards from 8 to 11.

Charlie McCreevey refuses to borrow yet in the last two budgets he has sold off assets to make a "surplus" yet he claims he has not borrowed.. He has also got rid of the first time house buyers grant. Mr Mc Dowell stated that he believes this will benefit house prices and that they will be lower in the long run. The minister for finance also intends to increase the fees for third level colleges. Mr Mc Dowell is in favour of this also as long as it is accompanied by an increase in the number of students who receive the grant from the government.. Mr Mc Dowell finished his opening address by saying that the government had got themselves into this mess by to many long term commitments.

Richard Bruton
According to Mr Bruton the government have increased spending by 20% in the past two years yet they only recouped 2.5% of this back in tax. Yet Mr Mc Creevey had estimated 9% for each of the above. This was one of the main reasons why Fine Gael gave a vote of no confidence in the minister for finance as he had paid no heed to their warnings. He lost his nerve at a crucial time and that is why we are in the mess we are today. During their time in office both the government and the minister for finance have made many mistakes such as the fiasco of the national stadium at abbotstown were £400 million was spent before they realized their mistake and had to back down. Mr Mc Creevey also invested £350 million on Dublin bus yet there is not one extra passenger on the buses at peak times. The losses being made on Dublin bus were £11 million but are now £55 million.

According to Mr Bruton there are many people in this country who believe that because Fianna Fail are no good that Fine Gael will be no good either but this is something that we as a party will have to change.

In Education the government promised us a first class education system but they refuse to publish any reports to show how good it really is. They are not interested in how kids with disabilities are being treated. They just want the education system to work their way.Mr Bruton finished of his opening address by saying what an exciting time this was to be in Fine Gael as we strive to rebuild and get Finna Fail out of goverment.

Question: To Mr. Bruton. How would you do a better budget?
Answer: He would forego any recruitment in the public services and maybe close some of the regional health boards if necessary.

Q. How can the government curb inflation and keep prices stable?
A. When the euro changeover happened everything increased in price while the government did very little to stop it happening and they actually brought in more charges such as higher fees which was unbelievable.

Q. The government should be accountable for what it spends. How can Fine Gael do this.?
A. Fine Gael do not support people coming in and tut-tutting in the back of classrooms etc. We are the worst for being accountable for what we do as a nation in Europe.