Irish opposition party Fine Gael announced yesterday that it will vote against the 85 billion euro EU-IMF rescue package when it comes before the Irish Parliament for a vote on Wednesday.

Brian Hayes, Fine Gael's deputy finance spokesman told the press that his party strongly disagreed with the terms of the package.

In response the Fianna Fail government Chief Whip John Curran called for Fine Gael to act in the national interest by backing Wednesday's vote on the rescue package.

Curran asked where any party voting against the funding package would find the money to fund public services.

Meanwhile Pat Rabbitte, the Labour Party spokesperson on Justice, called on the Irish Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan to dismiss the board of Allied Irish Bank (AIB) over the bonus payments it's making at a time of national economic crisis.

The 40 million euro earmarked for AIB staff related to unpaid bonuses for 2008, at the height of the period when the reckless lending that scuppered the Irish economy was occurring.

Speaking on RTE, Ireland's national broadcast station, the Irish Minister for Children Barry Andrews said that the government would do what it could,within the law to prevent the bonus payments from being made.