Lenihan rules out snap budget

FINANCE Minister Brian Lenihan has again ruled out the prospect of an early budget to improve investor confidence in Ireland.

There had been speculation in some quarters that the Government would need to resort to an early budget to prove it was managing the country’s debt problem.

But Mr Lenihan insisted that this was not the case. He said the most recent monthly exchequer figures, published last week, showed the stabilisation of the country’s finances was on target.