Independent TD for Wicklow and East Carlow Stephen Donnelly addressed conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Deputy Donnelly made some excellent points relating to austerity and a new direction for Ireland. In particular he said that “savings from within should be a priority for Justice Minister Alan Shatter as opposed to continued pay cuts.”
He also said “Ireland is insolvent and the deficit needs to be closed requiring a balance of investment, taxes and spending cuts.”
In relation to public sector pay cuts, Deputy Donnelly said that “pay cuts needs to be targeted better; pay cuts needs to be countered with reductions in household debts an it needs to come after all non-pay savings have been identified and implemented.”
In relation to public sector reform, Deputy Donnelly says it needs to “be led by public sector workers, not by politicians.”
