Enda Kenny: ‘This will be the last difficult budget’

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said the upcoming budget should be "the last of the difficult" ones.

Mr Kenny also expressed hope about the economy for next year and beyond. “This is not going to be an easy budget...we hope that this will be the last difficult budget,” he said.

“Hopefully, if we can keep our economy on track here, this should be the last difficult budget. Hopefully things will improve after that.”

Mr Kenny was speaking at a press conference updating progress on the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs .

The International Monetary Fund yesterday said the Government should stick with its plan for a €3.1 billion adjustment in the October budget.

This is in spite of savings on Ireland’s debt repayments that will reduce its borrowing costs by €40 billion over the next decade and yield substantial savings in the cost of servicing our national debt.

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan indicated yesterday the Government would not be easing up on austerity, in spite of the savings yielded by the deals on our debts.

“I wouldn’t think it gives us any scope at all [to ease up on austerity in this year’s budget],” Mr Noonan said as we were still having to borrow money to pay our bills.