Updated at 9:15pm

TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has indicated that the general election will be held in spring 2016.

There had been growing speculation in political circles that a snap election would be called for November.

However, in an interview today on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics, Kenny said that he saw no reason to hold a poll before the end of the year.

“I have been consistently very clear in this. It is my intention to hold the election in spring 2016,” he said.

The news will come as relief to coalition partner Labour, which has made clear its preference for a 2016 election.

Kenny said that it was important that the two parties had agreed to an electoral pact, saying they had worked well together in coalition, despite having to make “difficult choices” about the economy.

Asked about mooted USC cuts in the upcoming budget, which will be announced on Tuesday, Kenny said the charge could not be abolished overnight, though he added that Fine Gael’s long-term aim was to phase it out completely.

He also confirmed that budget spending would not exceed the €1.5 billion parameter announced in the spring statement.

Kenny said that the government’s plan to reduce taxes will stimulate the economy and put more people back to work, reducing the cost of social welfare.

While conceding that the coalition had not managed to solve the hospital overcrowding crisis, he said he believed there would be fewer people stranded on trolleys by the end of the year.

First published at 12:29pm

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