ESRI warning over €2.7bn available for Budget

FINANCE Minister Brian Cowen will have up to e2.7 billion to spend in next year’s Budget, the Government think tank, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has concluded.

The figure was reached after the deduction of an estimated e1bn, to cover the costs of a planned 5.5% hike in social welfare payments.

According to Dr Alan Barrett of ESRI, the Government is “awash with money going into next year”.