Government budget watchdog rebukes 'imprudent' spending

Government budget watchdog IFAC has delivered its sharpest rebuke yet to the Government, saying it is pumping up spending while failing to control healthcare spending when it should be planning for the “inevitable” hard times.

In its formal fiscal assessment of Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe’s 2019 budget, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council focuses on the consequences of the additional spending measures Mr Donohoe unexpectedly unveiled for 2018.