Members of the 23rd Dáil

EU parliament head calls for deal on 2013 budget deficit

Agence France-PresseFebruary 28, 2013 14:17

EU member states must cover a 16-17 billion euros shortfall in this year's budget before talking about approval for their hotly contested 2014-20 spending plans, European Parliament head Martin Schulz warned Thursday. The 2013 budget shows a deficit of 16 to 17 billion euros and "deficits are forbidden at the EU level, Schulz said in Dublin at a press conference with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. Covering this deficit has to come first, he said, as it is about "paying the bills" for projects already agreed.

Irish PM criticised for lack of apology on Magdalene Laundries

Thomson ReutersFebruary 6, 2013 14:15

By Padraic Halpin DUBLIN, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny was criticised by members of his own government on Wednesday for not issuing the state apology sought by ex-inmates of the notorious Magdalene Laundries following a damning report. More than a quarter of the women and girls subjected to harsh discipline and unpaid work at the 10 laundries, run by Catholic nuns, were sent there by the Irish state, an official report that ran to almost 1,000 pages said on Tuesday.