Photo: Sam Boal/Collins PhotosThe Government has committed to limiting the annual increase in public spending to 6 per cent a year for the next five budgets. The pledge was contained in the Government’s Medium Term Fiscal and Structural Plan which Minister for Finance Simon Harris described as a “fundamental change” in Irish budgetary policy. The strategy envisages spending, capital and current, increasing from €110 billion this year to €147.3 billion by 2030. Attempts by the previous Government to adopt a 5 per cent annual spending cap were abandoned while much of the additional spending introduced during the high-spending Covid years has now been built into the Government’s expenditure base. “It gives greater certainty to Government departments and state agencies in terms of getting on with the job,” Mr Harris said.

Source: The Irish Times December 20, 2025 08:29 UTC