Tuesday evening briefing: Catch up on Budget 2017 and all the rest of today's headlines

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today

BUDGET 2017

Here are the main points of the Budget:

• New help-to-buy scheme for first-time buyers

• €1.2bn in funding for Housing in 2017

• A 0.5% cut in the three main rates of USC

• DIRT to be cut by 2% each year for next four years

• The 9% VAT rate for the tourism industry will be retained.

• Cigarettes to be increased by 50 cent on pack of 20

• 2,400 extra teaching posts and 800 new Gardaí

• Pension up by €5 per week from March

• Christmas bonus to welfare recipients will be at 85% of weekly payment this year

• Budget includes €290m for pay increases across the public sector

• New childcare scheme to subsidise payments will be means tested and not come until September 2017

• Additional €15m to deal with waiting lists

• After 2018 Government will set aside up to €1bn annualy as a rainy day fund

REACTION

Fianna Fáil has hit out at the Government's controversial decision to link the new first time home buyers €20,000 grant to tax history, saying it will block returning migrants and low-paid workers from benefiting in any way.

The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) has described the allocation of an additional €36.5m funding to third-level education in today’s budget as ‘like offering a wet sponge to a man dying of thirst.’

ALONE has welcomed the increase to the state pension, announced as part of Budget 2017.

The Sherry FitzGerald Group has also welcomed the Budget's ‘help-to-buy’ scheme [for first-time buyers of new homes, saying it is a "very important first step to resolving the supply side shortages in the Irish housing market".

An extra €497m is to be pumped into Health next year with measures for older people and those with disabilities included in Budget 2017. Finance Minister Michael Noonan has also announced a tax on sugar sweetened drink to come into effect in April 2018.

COMMENT

Are you a young parent on a low to middle income who intends to buy your first new home? If so, congratulations - you are officially a budget winner.

An 83-year-old former lecturer and human resources manager has said the modest payback he is being offered in Budget 2017 will go straight on his six grandchildren.

Find all today's Budget 2017 news and reaction HERE.

IRELAND

The Courtmacsherry RNLI all-weather lifeboat was called out at 12.30pm this afternoon to go to the immediate aid of a 40 foot sailing sloop that was in trouble 8 miles off the Old Head of Kinsale in West Cork.

Jim Gavin swapped one high for another yesterday as, just nine days after his third All-Ireland title win as Dublin manager, he takes to the skies as a ‘groomsman’ for 5,300 food-and-income-producing being airlifted to change the lives of almost 800 African families.

Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes has suggested the North could be given associate membership of the EU while also remaining part of the UK.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has stated his intention to contest the next General Election.

WORLD 

Donald Trump has fired fresh criticism at Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan after he effectively abandoned hopes of Mr Trump winning the presidential election.

One of Jo Cox's best friends in UK Parliament fought back tears as she paid tribute to her former colleague's stance on refugees.

Air strikes on rebel-held parts of the besieged city of Aleppo killed at least eight people on Tuesday.

E-fit images have been released of two men wanted by police investigating the abduction and rape of a 14-year-old schoolgirl.

SPORT

Irish showjumper Kevin Thornton is at the centre of an investigation following the death of a horse he was riding at an event in France on Monday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) for banned substances give an unfair advantage, and suggested athletes who use them should be excluded from major competitions.

Tyson Fury faces being stripped of his licence at a meeting of the British Boxing Board of Control on Wednesday.

Robbie Benson, Sean Gannon, Patrick McEleney and Ciaran Kilduff are all injury doubts for Dundalk ahead of tonight's Airtricity League encounter with Cork City at Oriel Park.