Gormley defends ‘hard decisions’ in budget

GREEN Minister John Gormley last night staunchly defended controversial budget measures which hit the elderly and low-paid hard.

Unveiling his annual strategy to reduce Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions, Mr Gormley insisted unpopular moves like means-testing medical cards for the elderly and imposing a 1% income levy on minimum wage earners were unavoidable in the current financial situation.

The Environment Minister insisted there was “no way out” of the hard decisions taken by the Cabinet and he attacked opposition parties for concentrating on “parochial concerns” and not thinking about the future of the planet.