A senior Cabinet minister has said Fine Gael is “done apologising” to voters as the party moved to try and regain the political initiative after a crisis-ridden year.

Ireland, home to almost a third of the European Union’s €1 trillion money-markets industry, is set to oppose EU plans to make funds build up cash buffers against future crises.

Special allowances for public service workers could be scrapped and incorporated into their core pay, Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin said.