Cabinet has not yet discussed budget

Chronic distrust among ministers is not preventing the Cabinet discussing massive budget cuts, the Government has claimed.

Despite the financial centrepiece of the parliamentary year being just two weeks away, ministers have yet to talk about it.

Distrust of individual ministers leaking information to the media for their own political ends was not the cause of the lack of open discussion, Enda Kenny’s spokesperson said.

Details of the €3.6bn austerity package — which Mr Kenny says will be the worst of all budgets if the Coalition completes its five-year term — has been the subject of meetings of the four- member economic management council, and meetings between departments, but not in the weekly meeting of the Cabinet.

The council comprises of the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Finance Minister Michael Noonan, and Minister for Public Expenditure Reform Brendan Howlin — and is known as the “war cabinet” where key economic and financial decisions are made.

The Coalition became embroiled in a series of public relations disasters in the run-up to last December’s budget when individual ministers and party figures engaged in kite flying and selectively leaked proposed measures.

The lack of Cabinet discussion has helped so far to avoid that situation. The Coalition has also learned from presentational mistakes last year, when spending and finance were announced on separate days.

This was seen to “extend the pain” and work against the standing of the Labour Party as Mr Howlin was left to deliver the bulk of spending cut news on his own.

The Dec 5 budget will be a one-day statement.

The Government claimed there was more discussion in prior to last year’s budget because three yearly spending limits were being set.