'Same mistakes' leading to budget overruns every year, warns fiscal watchdog

Ifac senior economist says it is 'time to shout stop' on bad budgeting and poor expenditure management

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation Jack Chambers and Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Simon Harris. Pic: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

Fri, 22 May, 2026 - 02:00

Emer Walsh

The "same mistakes" are being made every year with consistent spending overruns impacting Ireland's public finances, the government's fiscal watchdog has said. In a memo written by Killian Carroll of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (Ifac), the senior economist said that overruns have averaged more than €5bn per year since 2023, with around half of the total every year arising from "bad budgeting and poor expenditure management."

"Policymakers should respond to crises. Nearly half the 2023 and 2024 overruns came from one-off cost-of-living measures, designed to provide immediate relief to households and businesses against high inflation.