12/03/2009

April Budget To Be Tougher Than Expected

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said the emergency budget in April will be even tougher than first thought, due to the worsening public finances.

Speaking in the Daíl yesterday, Mr Cowen told Opposition leaders the Department of Finance had estimated a shortfall of €4.5 billion would have to be covered by the budget, but the final figure could be greater making the budget a "moving target".

"As the year has progressed we have seen a serious deterioration in the public finances tak" he said.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore both complained to Mr Cowen that the Opposition parties were not sufficiently briefed on the detailed figures available to Government, to enable them to support the tough measures ahead.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said: "We have to have available to us the information Taoiseach that you have available to you, we need the information that is coming up to the minister for finance from the different departments. We need to know what that information is, we can't fly blind here. This is either a genuine exercise or a smoke screen."

(DW/BMcC)

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