We’ve become a welfare nation “overly dependent” on state payments compared to other countries, newly published Government papers have warned.

We’ve become a welfare nation “overly dependent” on state payments compared to other countries, newly published Government papers have warned.

The Department of Finance is to pay a consultancy firm €144,000 to advise on whether a €500,000 pay cap for the executives of bailed-out banks should be lifted.

One of the features of Ireland’s economic recovery, from the deep morass that it found itself in a few short years ago, is that almost all economic forecasters have under-estimated the magnitude of the recovery and are constantly being forced to upgrade forecasts.

Tax advisory giant Deloitte has called on the Government to further delay the introduction of its new sugar tax until July to allow beverage companies time to ready themselves.

The Department of Finance rejected a proposal to double the length of time a generous tax incentive applies to executives from multinational companies.

No rabbits will be pulled next week from the “budget hat” despite the latest exchequer figures suggesting corporation tax revenues were again picking up steam, analysts said.

The Department of Finance has been urged to demand the EU relaxes Ireland’s fiscal spending rules after senior officials admitted the housing crisis and other social issues are a “risk” that cannot be ignored.

Around 40,000 people will lose their jobs in Ireland because of Theresa May's hard Brexit plan, the Irish Government's chief economist has warned.

The Department of Finance says it will consider a letter from the occupiers of Apollo House in Dublin.

The Government has said a briefing paper which says scrapping USC could add 10% to income tax bills is not relevant.

The Government has been warned it may have to increase property tax by 600% if it decides to scrap USC.

The Department of Finance has failed to explain why Ireland did not apply to be a founding member of a major new Asian investment bank.

The Department of Finance has said Ireland faces threats from major uncertainty in the world economy.

The Department of Finance says the public finances have shown a more than €400m improvement in the first month of the year.

Environment Minister Alan Kelly’s proposals to use the taxation system to solve the worsening housing crisis were met with fierce opposition from Department of Finance officials.

The Department of Finance has defended its decision to claim that important documents given to the IBRC inquiry were confidential.

The Taoiseach has said he would be breaking the law if he engaged with the Department of Finance about what they have or have not provided to the inquiry into write-offs at the IBRC.

The Department of Finance is refusing to comment on allegations by the former CEO of Anglo Irish Bank, Mike Aynsley, of political interference.

Senior counsel Senan Hogan has been appointed by the Houses of the Oireachtas service to investigate whistleblower allegations about the Banking Inquiry.

Fees for courses on corporate white-collar crime, money-laundering, and Islamic finance were part of a €475,056 bill to the State for Central Bank employees who took courses last year.

Ireland made a "discreet" inquiry with the IMF in 2008 about the possibility of being able to access a bailout, Kevin Cardiff said today.

The chief economist of the Department of Finance said he has seen economists being ordered to change their forecasts, for political reasons.

The Public Accounts Committee has been forced to abandon a meeting with officials from the Department of Finance - after legal advice from its own lawyers.

Michael Noonan’s Department of Finance faces having to endorse a looming pay rise agreement in the coming weeks for 5,500 staff at AIB, the lender bailed out at a cost of €20 billion to taxpayers.

WHAT would you give a man who has been secretary general of three government departments, including the Department of Finance, a man who in local bureaucratic terms has had everything?

The Department of Finance’s spend on consultants last year topped €1.898m.

The trade union UNITE, has criticised the Department of Finance for its submission against an increase in the minimum wage, to the Low Wage Commission.

The top civil servant at the Department of Finance has said that there has been no investigation into the increased trade of SiteServ shares just before it was sold.

The ex-Secretary General of the Department of Finance said personal attacks on civil servants over the Siteserv deal are "regrettable".

The Department of Finance will release more documents today in connection with the sale of Siteserv.

The Central Bank governor has chastised Michael Noonan over the finance minister’s failure to consult with him on controversial potential mortgage rule changes.

The Department of Finance has blamed the introduction of a new European wide payments system for a year on year €644m decrease in tax income for the month of January.