Government comes up €6bn short in medium-term spending plans

The Government has come up €6bn short in its medium-term spending plans, the country’s budgetary watchdog has warned.

To exacerbate matters, two government departments will require additional funding.

The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) said the Government’s spending and tax blueprint, the so-called Stability Programme Update, published only two months ago, fails to take into account the financial costs of an ageing and growing population and inflation.