Public service plan could cost €1bn, admits Kenny
The Fine Gael leader has today admitted that his plans to make 10% of public service workers redundant could cost €1bn.
Enda Kenny also said that the money would have to be borrowed, but it would be a once-off cost, with payroll savings to be achieved over the next five years.
Fine Gael has announced plans for 30,000 redundancies in the public service - one in 10 of those currently employed.
That is 18,000 more on top of the 12,000 Fianna Fáil in government has committed to.
The party says that frontline services like nurses and gardaí would be protected.
Mr Kenny is now on a tour of the midlands and north west ahead of a town-hall style meeting tonight when the Fianna Fáil and Labour leaders are on TV.
He is insisting on not taking part in tonight's debate, despite a publicity stunt by the Irish Sun newspaper which attempted to dub him 'a chicken'.
