FG/Labour attack public expenditure waste

FINE GAEL and Labour will zero in on the Government’s mismanagement of taxpayers’ money in the coming months as they attempt to convince the public that they could do better if put in power.

The parties yesterday unveiled their first shared statement, "A New Departure for Social Partnership", which called for reforms to the system under which the national pay agreements are put in place. They also announced a joint project to identify measures "to minimise waste in public expenditure".

The announcements came after a meeting between the two parties in Co Westmeath yesterday to mark the first anniversary of the Mullingar Accord, the agreement reached last year which signalled that Fine Gael and Labour would form a pre-election pact.