Concerns that Donohoe's Covid-19 recovery firepower will fall short

Austin Hughes, chief economist at KBC Bank Ireland, said he worried about the mixed messaging from Minister Paschal Donohoe around the costs of many of the interventions so far

Concerns are growing that the recovery package promised by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe will fall short if the firepower fails to match what the British government has delivered for its struggling businesses.

The concerns from business groups and leading economists come as the UK Treasury released figures that showed that lending to UK firms has so far reached £41bn (€45.3bn) during the Covid-19 crisis.