Joan Burton criticises 'threadbare' motion of No Confidence
Joan Burton has said that a motion of No Confidence in her is "the most threadbare" complaint she has ever seen.
The Tánaiste was speaking as the Dáil began debating a motion of no confidence in her position last night.
Opposition TDs tabled the motion, complaining about her appointment of former union leader David Begg as chairman of the Pensions Board, with a salary of €20,000 per year, in a move they have labelled as "blatant cronyism".
The Tánaiste said that existing rules are "flexible" enough to allow for make the appointment - but her critics say the position was not even advertised.
In her defence, Joan Burton said she had done nothing wrong, and the Opposition knew it.
"In all my years in this House, I cannot remember a No Confidence motion which was so threadbare, so flimsy and so insubstantial," she said.
"Even Deputy Ross himself accepts that the guidelines for appointments to State Board were fully complied with."
