O’Dea admits €1.4bn cuts could trigger recession

RECESSION will be “inevitably” triggered if the Government messes up its huge spending cuts package, a minister admitted last night.

As details emerged of the emergency €1.4 billion bid to slash expenditure, opposition parties branded the claw-back “mindless” and warned the country was slipping much deeper into the red than the cabinet had planned for.

Moves to dramatically cut Garda overtime by half in an attempt to meet the bulk of €50.4 million cuts ordered from the Justice Department’s wage bill next year were condemned as a dangerous boost to crime gang bosses by Labour.