No ‘populist decisions’ in Budget 2004

MINISTER for Finance Charlie McCreevy will be giving extra money for social welfare benefits in next week’s Budget 2004, but it won’t be used to reverse 16 contentious cuts in welfare schemes.

Warning that the budget will avoid short-term populist measures, the Minister also said that benchmarking pay rises won’t be paid unless public servants fulfil their side of the deal.

But Minister McCreevy said the economy in general could not be priced out of the market with unrealistic wage increases.