Legislation date row

THE Finance Bill will bring into law the measures announced in last month’s budget — many of which are necessary to meet the terms of the EU-IMF bailout.

All parties will sit down today to see when it should be passed, with Fianna Fáil accused of stringing it out to delay the general election date and the opposition accused of using it as a ransom to bring polling day forward.

All sides want the bill passed to suit their own needs. Fine Gael and Labour hope it is passed so the harsh measures it contains can be blamed on the Government. They believe this should happen before the end of this week to allow an election take place.