TAOISEACH ENDA Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore yesterday warned Cabinet colleagues about making “solo runs” in their public pronouncements on budgetary matters and the Croke Park agreement.
Neither the Taoiseach nor the Tánaiste singled out any Minister by name but it was apparent that their remarks were directed at comments made by four senior Ministers in recent days.
In what was described by a senior Government source as “clear and unambiguous” language, Mr Kenny and Mr Gilmore emphasised the need for coherence and unity and the difficulties caused by Ministers making personal comments about policy not yet discussed or agreed at the Cabinet table.
The general admonishment came after four Ministers made public comments about the forthcoming budget and about public sector pay over the course of the previous two days, which gave rise to claims there were breaches or rifts in Cabinet.
On Sunday Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte told RTÉ that there were no “red line” issues for the budget, suggesting that the programme for government commitments not to increase income tax or to reduce social welfare rates might no longer apply.
His Labour colleague, Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin made similar remarks in a newspaper on Sunday. Some Fine Gael Ministers took the private view that Labour was flying a kite on the issue of income tax being revisited in December’s budget.
On Monday, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar suggested that increments due to public servants should not be paid, in an apparent breach of Croke Park.
Minister for Health James Reilly subsequently questioned the continuing levels of premium and overtime payments in the Health Service Executive, levels also protected under Croke Park.
The spate of comments by individual Ministers was met by strong responses by Mr Kenny and Mr Gilmore, who separately stated that the budget had not yet been discussed and that the Croke Park agreement would be honoured.
Mr Gilmore, in Brussels on Monday, expressed annoyance, saying he wished individual Ministers would stop making such comments each Monday, a criticism seen as directed at Mr Varadkar.
At a press conference yesterday on mortgage arrears, Mr Kenny and Mr Gilmore presented a united front and emphasised the unity of the Government when asked about the controversy.
Asked what he had told his Ministers at Cabinet, Mr Kenny said he would not comment on what he had said.
