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Dublin: 12 °C Sunday 19 May, 2013

Capital spending cuts to be unveiled today

Several major projects are expected to be set aside as €750million is cut from the Government’s capital budget.

Leinster House
Leinster House
Image: davehighbury via Flickr

SEVERAL MAJOR CAPITAL projects are expected to be set aside when the Government announces details of its expenditure programme for the next four years later today.

It’s expected that other infrastructure works will be deferred as €750million is slashed from the Government’s capital budget. The cut accounts for one-third of the entire €2.2million spending reduction ministers are looking to achieve in next month’s Budget.

The axe is expected to finally fall on several high-profile transport projects, including the Metro North link to Dublin Airport.

The Government announced yesterday that it will withdraw its funding for the Monaghan-Derry road, which was pledged as part of a cross-border agreement in 2006.

Eyes will also be on the planned National Children’s Hospital on the Mater site, which is one of the State’s largest capital projects, and the long-planned prison development at Thornton Hall.

The full announcement on the Medium Term Exchequer Framework 2012-2016 is expected at around midday.

Read more: Govt to withdraw funding for Monaghan-Derry road>

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Comments (4 Comments)

  • Irelands 1982 budget focused on tax increases and cutting capital spending to correct public finances and resulted in economy shrinking.
    1987 budget focused on reducing current spending and resulted in economic growth.
    Nothing learned here.

    Reply
  • I thought capital projects were our version of an economic stimulus package? How does this reduce the structural deficit in current spending? Is it worth breaching the St Andrews agreement, given the context of the €3.6bn discovered last week?Do the dept of finance/fg/ff/lab EVER learn from each others mistakes?

    Reply
  • Isn’t it amazing how the current and past governments wasted and waste our money on quango’s, they bail out their paymasters i.e the banks, they screw the ordinary people to the floor, don’t exert pressure to pass on mortgage cuts approved by the ECB, let the banks approve pay rises for their embattled staff, all the while stating “we have no money”
    A screwed democracy being run by a jackass government, they are all as bad as each other! FF/LAB/FG all in each others pockets!

    Reply

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