Former minister Noel Dempsey, who was part of the Fianna Fáil-led coalition during the economic crash, has said he is “haunted” by the decisions his government took — and warned Ireland is failing to learn from the mistakes of the past.

The Fianna Fáil-Green Party government led by taoiseach Brian Cowen deliberately chose to impose higher electricity prices on ordinary households in the middle of the economic downturn in order to reduce energy costs for 1,500 large businesses.

Fianna Fáil has claimed it will not rely on a range of tax hikes to reform the health service if it gains power after the next general election, saying a €320m hole in its annual investment plans will be funded by taking money from other government areas.

Thousands of parents whose children have not yet had their discretionary medical cards returned have had to pay up to €650 for school bus tickets for next term, Fianna Fáil has claimed.

The Oireachtas has been told to overhaul its ethics rules and tighten up the travel expenses regime for politicians following a Supreme Court ruling against a former Fianna Fáil senator.