The Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has defended his budget in the face of criticism from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council.

A government budget is always about managing expectations, economically, politically, and socially.

In the foreword to his department’s key pre-budget economic forecasts in June, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said he was determined to follow a “prudent” path because pumping up spending “in an economy at full employment entails risks”. The Summer Economic Statement, which was published four months before the budget, uses the word “prudent” a further nine times.

People with Alzeimer's and their carers say they are being ignored by the Minister for Health.

The junior minister tasked with the Defence Forces has said it is “worrying” that an internal military report critical of his department’s Budget 2019 allocation was leaked.

Far more preparations for Brexit are going on behind the scenes and at a much higher level than Government will admit, writes political correspondent Elaine Loughlin.

The Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has been criticised for not allocating enough money to the 'Rainy Day Fund'.

THE surprise was that people were surprised. Nearly every Irish budget day has one surprise. One sting in the tale. A surprise they didn’t think people would make a fuss about.

The Government could have done more to build up buffers for the hard times but this week’s budget was “balanced” that hadn’t fuelled demand in a fast-growing economy.

The Budget presented Tuesday by Minister for Finance and Public Reform Paschal Donoghue could be best described as tinkering at the edges without any radical reform of any sector.

Business leaders fear the economy is likely to crash in the next five years.

Higher income earners gained 10 times as much as low earners in Budget 2019, that’s according to anti-poverty group Social Justice Ireland (SJI).

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said Budget 2019 is “a responsible budget for a modern and caring Ireland that aims to be at the centre of a changing world”.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin has rejected Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s demand that talks to extend the confidence and supply agreement be concluded by Halloween.

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil TDs may have to put up with their loveless confidence and supply marriage for a while longer, writes Political Correspondent Fiachra Ó Cionnaith.

I kept coming back to the image of two old fellas sitting on bar stools chatting away about future-proofing the economy without noticing that the fourth wall of the pub had already fallen over the cliff.

Budget 2019 fails to make any notable impact on Ireland’s entrenched inequalities and fails to tackle any of the major challenges the country currently faces, according Social Justice Ireland's Sean Healy.

The Justice Minister has warned that a general election will be triggered if the two parties cannot agree to extend the deal.

The Justice Minister insists the increase in VAT in the hospitality sector will not "see the sky falling in".

Failure to address pensions was a significant oversight.

While other commentators in this supplement will have given a broader scope of the budget changes, this article will focus specifically on how the budget may help those people who work for themselves in a self-employed or limited company capacity.

Making a virtue of finding €1bn down the back of the sofa and seeking to secure political gain by using the bulk of the cash to shore up an out-of-control health service spending, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe is getting away with the oldest of political strokes.

There was much to please business in the budget.

Budget 2019 does a little for a lot, but the opportunity has been lost to deliver adequate targeted supports for the largest private industry employer in Ireland — retail.

Family doctors and hospital consultants are warning that Budget 2019 does not address capacity deficits and will lead to longer waiting times to see GPs and more widespread cancellation of surgery in public acute hospitals.

Pascal Donohoe is an inclusive kind of a guy. He wraps his arms around all and sundry in his pronouncements on governance. Hence in yesterday’s budget speech we heard more than once about “our country”, and “our people” and “our children”. It’s no doubt heartfelt but also works well as a political tool. We’re all in this together, you, me, the butcher, baker and candlestick maker. And there is something for everybody in the audience.

Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI)

An extra 10,000 council homes are to be added to the social housing supply next year through a combination of new builds, purchases, and long-term leasing — despite criticisms that leases should not count as additional stock.

They funked it. With the voices of constituency returning officers ringing in their ears the Government dropped the modest plan, flagged by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in August, to increase carbon taxes. That they took this path of least resistance the day after the world was warned of what will happen if we don’t wake up to climate change means the charge of stupid short-termism can be added to the charge of long-term cowardice.

PRUDENT Paschal? “More like Profligate Paschal” was the charge about his third budget, writes Political Editor, Daniel McConnell

At a time of considerable macroeconomic uncertainty (Brexit, US tax reform, EU tax reform) Finance Minister Pascal Donoghue has produced a (virtually) balanced budget and has avoided the temptation to overheat the economy through tax cuts, writes Mike Sheehan

The Government has failed again to address housing needs, writes Colette Bennett.

Charleville is braced for change but hopes for some breaks, writes Joe Leogue

OUR budgets are nothing like they used to be. We have much to be thankful for in that. But, like an addict that keeps putting off full sobriety until tomorrow, we remain somewhat in la la land if we think we’re fully paid up members of the fiscal reality club.

Raising expectation ahead of delivery, and way ahead of what should be delivered at all, is taking a toll, writes Gerard Howlin.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has set Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin a Halloween deadline to agree to a new confidence and supply deal until 2020 - or face a snap general election.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin says he will be ringing the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar tonight to discuss the confidence and supply arrangement.

The Government has unveiled Budget 2019 which involves spending of more than €66bn next year.

The increased capital spending announced in today's Budget has been welcomed by the Irish SME Association, ISME.

Today's Budget 2019 announcement included a funding increase of €3.5m for the Data Protection Commission (DPC) which will allow the office to recruit 40 additional staff.

For family of three Anna Forde, David Hosty, and their 16-month-old baby girl Henrietta, Budget 2019 means modest change, when what they would really have benefited from were big changes in childcare.

The Irish Exporters Association has cautiously welcomed today's budget delivered by Paschal Donohoe.

The Independent Alliance has been forced to admit its high-profile granny flat grant win in budget 2019, in reality, amounts to just one home and a general Fine Gael promise to "review" the scheme that is not written down in any document.

The Irish Examiner Political Editor Daniel McConnell spoke with Mr Donohoe about some of the major elements revealed in Budget 2019.