“Strong” disagreements between ministers over which welfare benefits should get priority in tomorrow’s budget have delayed its finalisation, it can be revealed.

With just days to go to Budget 2018, media and others are ramping up for the theatre that is the annual statement of fiscal policy, writes Jim Power.

We shouldn’t rule out the prospect of Fianna Fáil returning to power just as the economy really picks up, writes Alison O’Connor.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has faced a rural mutiny from his TDs who have vented their frustration over the confidence and supply deal.

Major stumbling blocks around Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) and the retirement age remain unresolved between Fine Gael and the Independent Alliance ahead of next week’s budget.

Early education is seen internationally as one of the keys to breaking the cycle of poverty — wouldn’t you think that a country that has one-in-nine of its children living in consistent poverty would finally start to put a value on the things that can break that cycle, writes Fergus Finlay.

Hard investment is needed to equip Ireland for the future, writes Tom Healy.

Fianna Fáil is now confident of securing further cuts to the universal social charge (USC) and an extension to the Mortgage Interest Relief scheme in next month’s budget.

Leo Varadkar and Paschal Donohoe have been accused of “control freakery” by ministerial colleagues after they issued a “omerta” warning over demands for more money in the budget.

A doctors’ group has called for the health budget to be overhauled to avoid a further deterioration of public health services.

The Government still plans to merge the USC with PRSI and alter tax levels for low-and middle-income earners despite Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin warning there is not enough money to do both and that it breaches the minority government deal.

A weekly rise of €5 in State pensions; a reversal of cuts made in 2012; and an increase in home help hours are among the demands being made on behalf of older people by Age Action.

The stability of the government support deal between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil may be at risk with both parties differing on tax change preferences for next month’s budget.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has hinted he may not abide by the two-to-one spending-to-tax cuts ratio agreed with Fianna Fáil in the next budget.

Latest: The General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Patricia King, has said that Budget 2018 should be an opportunity to shift the direction of fiscal policy towards building a fairer society, prioritising higher living standards and quality of life.

Latest: The Finance Minister has defended plans to halve the money set aside for the ’rainy day fund’.

The new chief at the country’s budget watchdog said the next finance minister will have relatively little to spend in October’s budget because so much of the country’s corporate tax windfall has already been spent in previous budgets.

There will be no giveaway budget in October, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said. Any spending plans ahead would be slow and measured, he said.

The Government might not have to impose any new cuts, taxes or charges on the public in next year's budget, according to a senior economist at the ESRI.

A senator demanding the recall of the Seanad so it can debate controversial organ donation legislation has denied doing it to boost the image of the upper house.

Rebel TDs kicked out of Fine Gael for opposing the abortion legislation could be let back into the parliamentary party after a period of time, according to a junior minister.

Coalition tensions over the upcoming budget strategy have heightened with two Labour ministers saying people needed relief rather than the deeper cuts proposed by Fine Gael minister Brian Hayes.