Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has said children’s shoes can be bought online when asked if shoe shops should be open for essential reasons. He also hit back sharply at a suggestion that the issue is linked to Fine Gael’s notorious 1982 budget under Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald and Finance Minister John Bruton after an RTÉ presenter said his party has a “particular history when it comes to children’s shoes”. The collapse of a Fine Gael-Labour coalition occurred in 1982 after the budget failed to pass and a general election occurred. The failure of the controversial budget was largely due to opposition to the introduction of tax on children’s shoes. "I absolutely appreciate the challenges that young families and young children face, everything our government and party is doing is motivated on keeping them safe,” Mr Donohoe said.

Source: Irish Independent March 31, 2021 09:45 UTC