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Fine Gael won't support government over budget: Kenny

Enda Kenny says the government faces problems passing the Budget as he presents his party’s plan for running the country.

ENDA KENNY HAS SAID  his party will not support the government if it faces trouble over next month’s budget.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s This Week about his party’s plan if it was in government, Kenny said he had no faith in the sitting government and would not back it in getting its budget passed.

He said the government lacked international credibility: “This government have no credibility left and somebody need a new mandate”.

He said he broadly agreed with the €6bn figure for cuts in the coming budget but noted it was “a provisional figure” set by the Minister for Finance.

The Fine Gael leader his party would cut 30,000 public service jobs through voluntary redundancies.

He said a voluntary redundancy programme “should be managed and it should be planned”, saying that 600 psychiatric nurses who left the health service have not been replaced because of the moratorium on public sector appointments.

Kenny said public service pay would be capped at €200,000, and said he would keep the Croke Park Agreement intact.

The party is also proposing dismantling FÁS and the HSE, as well as abolishing 145 state agencies and companies.