Tragedy forces cabinet meeting to adjourn
A meeting planned for Monday is now unlikely to proceed.
The Government met briefly yesterday to discuss a four-year plan for €15 billion of savings, but adjourned their meeting once they heard the news.
A statement on behalf of Mr Martin, who has been a cabinet member for 13 years, said he and his wife were “heartbroken at the loss of their darling Léana” who they said “was a beautiful light in our lives.”
The statement said: “The family would appreciate space and privacy at this sad time.”
Ministers were due to meet again on Monday to deliberate the four-year budget plan which will be unveiled in two weeks time.
The Department of Finance was playing down speculation that this year’s budget will be moved forward from the December 7 date to coincide with the publication of the four-year plan in mid-November.
It’s believed much of the detail of the budget will be contained in the plan which is being presented to the EU to demonstrate how Ireland’s deficit can be reduced to 3% of GDP by 2014.
But a spokesman for the department said the Government would still require time to work out the detail of the budget and there is “no proposal to bring it forward.”
Finance Minister Brian Lenihan told the Dáil on Tuesday that: “The budget is set for a fixed date in December and the only change we made this year is based on the belief that we can give greater credibility to the budgetary process by laying out a four-year track.”
He said: “The end of November returns are an important element in the calculation of the annual budget because they allow for as precise a figure as can be obtained in regard to tax receipts.”
