Enda Kenny stood over his claim that Irish people blew the boom by going on a mad borrowing spree as ministers scrambled to defend his comments.

The OECD has warned that that unemployment in Ireland is becoming an "intractable" problem.

FIVE former taoisigh were among the mourners who attended Garret FitzGerald’s funeral — three Fianna Fáil office-holders, Brian Cowen, Bertie Ahern and Albert Reynolds, along with John Bruton and Liam Cosgrave of Fine Gael.

Thousands of children will be hungry and cold if the Government rolls out cost-cutting plans signed off by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it was claimed tonight.

The Government was today challenged to wipe out poverty in a decade.

HIGHLY paid officials in the Central Bank and other financial institutions have no right to argue for social welfare cuts, according to Fr Sean Healy of Social Justice Ireland.

TWO high-profile members of Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI) – Fr Sean Healy and Sr Brigid Reynolds – are to head a new organisation called Social Justice Ireland.

A leading figure in the Conference of Religious in Ireland has said the religious orders involved in the abuse of children must be prepared to consider giving more money to the Government's redress scheme.

ELDERLY representatives are expected today to reject the means test of the medical card and push for a campaign to restore its universal availability for those aged 70 years or over.

AN 85-year-old educator and actor scooped a surprise award yesterday beating off the challenge of bookies’ favourites Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Derval O’Rourke to become Cork Person of the Year.

THE Government reached an historic breakthrough by raising the lowest social welfare support, the religious organisation CORI said yesterday. It represents 135 congregations.

A FRESH crusade for social justice to ensure Ireland’s economic wealth flows down to all citizens is urgently needed Fr Sean Healy warned last night.

SOCIAL welfare payments need to increase by €38 weekly to pull recipients over the poverty line, a Catholic organisation has warned.

IRISH and African experts will examine development issues and the AIDS crisis in Africa as part of a major conference in Cork which starts today.

THE Government must increase social welfare rates, provide more social housing and tackle the two-tier health system if Ireland is to move towards a fairer society, according to a leading social justice campaigner.

WHEN you write a book, you always hope for two things. The first hope is that the book will be published coming up to Christmas, because that’s when people who never normally buy books purchase them by the sack-load as gifts for others.

I WAS outraged to read of Charlie McCreevy’s unwarranted attack on Fr Sean Healy, director of CORI (Irish Examiner, September 13).

LABOUR leader Pat Rabbitte yesterday accused the Government of being profoundly dishonest by feigning an interest in social inequalities.

Fianna Fáil stands poised on the brink of a new beginning, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today said.

Fianna Fáil delegates arriving in Inchydoney, west Cork today expressed hopes that the parliamentary meeting will give the party a much needed boost.

THE Coalition parties meet today to plot their next steps in Government, yet they seem to be heading in opposite directions.

The Government must honour the commitments to the poor and vulnerable made in the national pay agreement, a major church group said today.

“FOR once in my life I’m actually speechless. I’m sure the Minister for Finance would be happy to hear that.”

By Ronan Mullen YOU have to hand it to Bob Geldof.

IRELAND’S young graduates are highly regarded as among the brightest, most enthusiastic and best educated in Europe, the director of a key export programme said yesterday.

THE prospects of the partnership agreement being accepted were boosted yesterday when a major religious group officially threw its weight behind the deal.

IRELAND has consistently spent less than any other EU country on social welfare as a percentage of GDP over the past decade, according to a new study.

THE Government has widened the gap between rich and poor by €266 a week following the latest Budget announcements.