Fury over Cabinet’s ‘astonishing’ vanishing act
A Cabinet in exile, formed by the departure of five ministers to the Cheltenham Races on Tuesday, will swell in number today when 22 ministers abandon the business of State to fly overseas for St Patrick's Day.
They leave behind deepening concerns for the health service, renewed fury at the condition of the country's schools, outrage at curtailments on freedom of information and ambivalence over the position on Iraq.
Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte, who will today publish a cost of living survey showing the average couple have lost €1,000 since the Budget, described the Dáil shutdown until March 25 as "astonishing".
"We must be the only parliament in the democratic world that has gone into recess for close to two weeks as the world faces the abyss of a devastating war," he said.
He accused Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy of "thumbing his nose" at the Dáil by watching the disquiet over the funding of public services from the comfort of Cheltenham.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny also criticised the extended Dáil recess which he said should have been used to tackle 39 urgent pieces of legislation or the promised debate on Iraq.
Mr McCreevy is in Cheltenham with Minister of State Tom Parlon, meaning both were absent for the Dáil debate on the Freedom of Information Act which is their responsibility. They were joined by Tourism Minister John O'Donoghue, Minister of State Jim McDaid and Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh.
Education Minister Noel Dempsey is in Australia with President McAleese and the Taoiseach departed yesterday for Washington.
The exodus left Health Minister Micheál Martin to defend Exchequer funding of health services against a barrage of criticism from hospitals complaining purse strings were pulled so tight, they threatened to choke services.
The latest to sound the alarm, St Luke's Hospital one of just two radiotherapy centres in the country said yesterday its budget had been cut by 2% and it was facing a 1 million shortfall in funding when new admissions were growing yearly.
Mr Martin warned hospitals had a legal responsibility to work within their budgets but he said services for cancer, heart and dialysis patients would be protected.
But the Irish Medical Organisation said the health service was "chronically ill" and would continue to "stumble from one crisis to the next" unless funding was ring-fenced.
The absentee Cabinet will lose their opportunity to counter claims the Labour Party will make today that living costs have soared in a few short months due to "stealth taxes".
Among the figures Labour will cite are a 17% rise in college registration fees, a 15% ESB hike, an 18% VHI increase (14% for Bupa members), a 30 increase on car tax, 40 on gas bills, 10% on bus fares and 8% on postal services as well as a cut in Drugs Refund Scheme payments and an increase in A&E charges.
