Trevor Quinn
NEW Fianna Fáil front bench Spokesperson on Justice, Equality and Defence Dara Calleary believes the Government’s jobs-stimulus programme is now on shaky ground. While Deputy Calleary welcomed Fine Gael’s confirmation that there will be no quick ‘fire sale’ of state assets, he said that clarification is now needed in relation to how the government plans to fund its NewERA plan.
Speaking to The Mayo News, Deputy Calleary said he has ‘always been sceptical’ about Fine Gael’s NewERA plan, and he has called for a clear and concise response from the Government in relation to the initiative.
The much-heralded jobs-stimulus programme was based on the sale of a number of state assets to finance a major economic stimulus package. However, responding to questions in the Dáil last week, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore stressed there would be no rush to sell any of the assets.
Deputy Calleary suggested that this casts doubt on the viability of the Government’s jobs-stimulus package. “The Government will have to clarify where they are going with NewERA. If it’s gone it’s gone, and they should come out and admit that it might take them a few years.”
Fine Gael’s pre-election commitments and Programme for Government relied heavily on the NewERA plan, which it promised would deliver 105,000 jobs.
While Deputy Calleary said clarification was urgently needed, he stressed that any agreed sale of state assets should be delayed until the market situation stabilises. “The markets are all over the place at the moment. Until the markets settle, any discussions on potential sales should be put on hold.”
