Thousands of people have turned out in Dublin for a protest march against proposed Government cutbacks in community services.

Thousands of people are expected to take part in a protest march in Dublin today over proposed Government cutbacks in community services.

A large number of angry public servants turned out in Sligo last night for the first regional meeting of a new group set up to oppose cutbacks recommended by An Bord Snip.

The Tánaiste, Mary Coughlan, has rejected opposition claims that the Government is in disarray over how to stabilise the public finances.

The Tánaiste Mary Coughlan has moved to clarify comments she made in the Dáil earlier regarding the McCarthy report.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has said it appears the Government is planning to ignore the recommendations of the Bord Snip Nua report.

The Tánaiste, Mary Coughlan, has attacked some of the recommendations in the controversial Bord Snip Nua report.

The leadership of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions is expected to consider proposals for a campaign of opposition to government cutbacks when it meets later today.

Community workers from around the country are planning to stage a protest in Dublin today against proposed cuts in funding for community development projects.

A leading academic on education is describing some of the cutbacks proposed by An Bord Snip Nua as "crazy and short-sighted".

A day of action against cutbacks in the education sector will be staged all around the country today.

The Rehab group today highlighted a number of cuts proposed in the Bord Snip Nua report which it says would have a disproportionate effect on people with disabilities.

The Department of Health has reportedly instructed the Health Service Executive to draw up plans for up to €800m worth of cutbacks next year.

All Government departments have been told to prepare a list of cuts as part of a €3bn savings package to be ready by September 11.

The Department of Finance has reportedly written to all other government departments telling them to draw up a list of cutbacks totalling €3bn by the middle of next month.

The community and voluntary pillar of the social partnership process is calling for an urgent socio-economic analysis of the impact of the Bord Snip Nua recommendations.

More than 12,300 agricultural jobs will be lost if cuts proposed in a €5.3bn cost-cutting masterplan go ahead, it was claimed today.

Irish NGOs working in the developing world are to launch a campaign against further cuts in government funding.

Rural areas will become a playground for Dublin’s criminal gangs if Garda stations are closed as proposed in An Bord Snip Nua, it was claimed today.

Fine Gael is calling on the country's education partners to discuss where savings can be made in the sector.

The recommendations of An Bord Snip Nua are expected to be high on the agenda when the Cabinet holds its regular weekly meeting in Dublin this morning.

The author of the Bord Snip Nua report has defended its recommendations this afternoon.

The Irish Primary Principals Network says many schools could face bankruptcy if the Government implements the recommendations of the Bord Snip Nua report.

University teachers are calling for unions and management in the third-level sector to join forces in a concerted campaign against the Bord Snip proposals.

Local councils are the latest group to criticise the recommendations of An Bord Snip Nua.

Fine Gael spokesman on Enterprise Leo Varadkar has accused the Government of deliberately delaying publication of the An Bord Snip Nua report until after the Dáil recess to avoid a grilling from their political opponents.

Farmers are to hold a major demonstration today against government cuts to farm incomes.

The Taoiseach warned today no area of public expenditure was immune from feeling the snip of a €5.3bn cost-cutting masterplan.

Environment Minister and Green Party leader John Gormley said today he cannot rule out a withdrawal from Government.

UNICEF Ireland said today it was "horrified" by recommendations made in yesterday’s An Bord Snip report to target essential services for children, both in Ireland and internationally.

The Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) today expressed concern that recommendations of cuts to third-level education outlined in the McCarthy report would have huge negative effects for economic recovery.

The president of Ireland's largest trade union has described the recommendations made in yesterday's report by the so-called An Bord Snip Nua group as an exercise in fantasy.

The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs is refusing to say whether or not he will oppose the proposed abolition of his department.

The Taoiseach has refused to rule out any of the cutbacks recommended yesterday by An Bord Snip Nua.

The Society of St Vincent de Paul says it is deeply concerned that some of the public spending cutbacks proposed yesterday could push thousands of people into poverty.

The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed have said that the poor are being asked to pay for the economic crisis after the publication of An Bord Snip's report yesterday.

The two main opposition parties have reacted cautiously to yesterday's report from An Bord Snip Nua, which recommends €5.3bn worth of cuts in public spending.

Trade unions and various lobby groups have reacted angrily to the recommendations of An Bord Snip Nua published yesterday afternoon.

Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has appealed to the public to avoid "knee-jerk and defensive reactions" after the publication of today's report by An Bord Snip Nua.

Opposition parties have given a mixed reaction to the contents of the Bord Snip Nua report, which recommends around €5.3bn worth of public spending cuts.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVP) says it is "shocked" by the report from An Bord Snip Nua, recommending €1.8bn worth of cuts in social welfare expenditure.

Chambers Ireland has said An Bord Snip Nua's recommended cuts "are not enough" for the Govt to balance the books.

The Garda Representative Association is "outraged and dismayed" at An Bord Snip Nua's proposals to reduce garda pay, close half of all garda stations and privatise part of the policing function.

Tourism must be at the forefront of Government policy as the country strives to come out of the recession, according to the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF).