Widows' pension U-turn timing 'a cynical ploy'

SOCIAL and Family Affairs Minister Mary Coughlan was last night accused of engaging in underhand and cynical politics over the handling of the announcement of the Government's U-turn on widows' welfare.

Green Party social and family affairs spokesman Dan Boyle said the timing of the announcement late on Wednesday evening when Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was appearing at the Mahon Tribunal was part of a cynical ploy to avoid negative headlines.

"It's a practice of this particular Government to release news not in the Dáil chamber and to release it after 6pm. It's an attempt to miss the main news bulletin and headlines in the hope that the papers will have missed their deadlines as well.