Sargent: Budget decisions ‘rushed’

GREEN minister Trevor Sargent has admitted the Government “rushed” some of its budgetary decisions, but insisted it had no other choice.

Mr Sargent, a junior minister at the Department of Agriculture, was reacting to the continuing fallout from the local elections, which saw the Greens left with three councillors – a loss of 15 seats since 2004.

He said the party’s defeated councillors had struggled to accept their hard work and achievements were “simply set aside” by voters. But the simple fact was the Greens had been punished because of their coalition with Fianna Fáil, he said.

“People ultimately were setting aside their adjudication of local councillors and were simply operating on the basis that this was an opportunity to inflict pain on the Government, and it’s obviously because people themselves were feeling pain,” Mr Sargent told RTÉ radio.

Asked about the next steps for the party, he said members first wanted space to “absorb what the people are saying”. The focus would then be on the forthcoming review of the Programme for Government, with the Greens hoping to win major concessions from Fianna Fáil in key policy areas.

Mr Sargent acknowledged the Government had little cash to spare, but said this cash could be spent better. He cited the example of renting prefabs for schools.

When put to him that the Greens had already been in Government two years and had failed to address such issues, he responded: “I think the obvious budget problems we’ve faced have required decisions to be taken in, I think, a rushed fashion – of necessity, because we have the European Central Bank and others breathing down our neck, requiring us to make quick decisions.”