Ruairí Quinn was referring to the publication of what he called the "seriously flawed" Disability Bill, and the amendment to the Public Order Act, which allows for the removal of travellers camped illegally. Mr Quinn said the groups were angry at the lack of consultation with traveller groups prior to the passing of the amendment.
Mr Quinn said the decision of 26 national anti-poverty and equality organisations to walk out of a plenary session of a meeting of the partners under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness was a direct result of the failure of the Government to address the legitimate concerns of this sector.
Labour has meanwhile promised to guarantee the rights of people with disabilities by introducing a "strong and enforceable, rights-based" Disabilities Bill. On the issue of abortion, Labour today said that it would legislate in accordance with the X case and it would ban corporate political donations to parties.
Labour's Brendan Howlin has claimed that the Taoiseach wants to reduce the election to an extended photo opportunity for himself. The deputy leader of the Labour Party said that Bertie Ahern has refused all offers to participate in debates with Ruairí Quinn and other party leaders.
Now it has emerged, he said, that access to the Fianna Fáil leader by the press has been heavily restricted. The suggestion that this has been done for security reasons is "laughable", said Mr Howlin. The public would clearly be able to draw their own conclusions from Bertie Ahern's refusal to engage, he added.
The Labour Party earlier urged the Government not to go ahead with electronic voting in three constituencies. Party candidate in Meath, Peter Ward, said that a lot of people were concerned about the system, especially elderly people, and there inevitably would be long delays at voting machines.
