This year’s budget will be the most difficult Ireland has ever faced — Cork TD and Minister of State Kathleen Lynch, has said.
As the Government continues its four-year plan to cut our deficit to 3%, Deputy Lynch, in an interview with the Evening Echo, said some very tough decisions would have to be made.
“I think this budget is probably going to be the most difficult budget of all. The difficulty is how do you bring in a budget without it being considered unfair. It is an enormous challenge.”
While Ireland has endured a series of austerity budgets since 2008, Deputy Lynch said the job of cutting our deficit is not yet complete.
Deputy Lynch is a Junior Minister with responsibility for Mental Health, Disability, Equality and Older People.
She said work will begin next month in advance of the December budget and that there would be difficult negotiations on where the cuts would be made.
While unable to give an indication of what cuts the taxpayer will face next year, she said certain areas would be off limits.
“We cannot take another cut in mental health. That is down to the very bare bones and I most definitely think we cannot continue to cut the budget for disability on the one hand and expect service providers to pay increments on the other side,” she said.