Anger as Coughlan told constituents of budget U-turn early

TÁNAISTE Mary Coughlan has come under further criticism by the opposition who accused her of causing confusion among disabled people over what they would be entitled to under Budget 2009.

Ms Coughlan met representatives from the Down Syndrome Association in Donegal last Saturday and told them they could expect a U-turn on cuts to the Disability Allowance announced in the budget. This was two days before disability groups met Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin to discuss the issue.

On Thursday afternoon, Ms Hanafin announced the cuts would be reversed and the increase of the eligibility age from 16 to 18 years would not go ahead.

A spokesman for Ms Hanafin’s department said yesterday that no decision was made on the U-turn when Ms Coughlan gave assurances to her constituents on Saturday.

On Monday, Ms Hanafin held a meeting with groups representing disabled people and did not discuss the issue with her colleagues until Tuesday’s cabinet meeting.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny asked Ms Coughlan to explain a news story that appeared in the local Donegal newspaper, the Tirconall Tribune, saying there would be a U-turn, before Ms Hanafin made her announcement.

The article reported on the meeting held between Ms Coughlan and the Down Syndrome Association.

She told them she would bring their concerns to the Government and they said they were lead to understand there would be a U-turn.

Ms Coughlan did not deny the comments when challenged on it in the Dáil on Thursday morning.

The Tánaiste has come under increasing criticism in recent weeks from the opposition and also from backbench TDs within her own party. She was first caught out over her knowledge of European affairs during the Lisbon treaty campaign when she mistakenly said some EU states have two commissioners.

She slipped up again following the announcement of the rescue package for financial institutions last month when she said the banking system would have “totally collapsed” if action was not taken by the Government. Ms Coughlan recently angered backbench TDs during a meeting on medical cards for over-70s, when she told them that the Taoiseach would come home from Brussels to deal with them if they spoke out against the budget plans.