Department urged to scrap planned education budget cuts

The Department of Education has been urged to scrap planned budget cuts after spending €149m less than expected this year.

The €5.61bn in current spending up to the end of September is nearly 3% less than €5.759bn that Education Minister Ruairi Quinn was expected to have spent. While there are often small variations at the end of each month, it compares with a €55m, or 1.1%, underspend a month earlier.

The department said most of the gap relates to the timing of payments.