A radical and reforming budget - Tánaiste

Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Harney has described today’s budget as a ‘radical and reforming budget for Ireland’.

In particular, she highlighted the decentralisation of the civil service. More than 1,000 employees of the Department of Trade and Enterprise will move out of Dublin.

300 Department staff are to be headquartered in Shannon, Co Clare while 110 staff of the Health and Safety Authority will move to Thomastown, Co Kilkenny.

The head office of the state employment agency FAS will see 250 people move to Birr, Co Offaly while Arklow, Co Wicklow will see 140 staff of the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) arrive.

Carlow will get another 250 people who perform Departmental functions.

The Tanaiste said: “We are implementing a bold and immediate programme of full scale decentralisation. No government in the history of the State has made such a bold move on this scale for the regions.

"It is a key part of our economic strategy for fairness and prosperity for all the people of Ireland,’ she added.

Harney also said that the Budget represented a foundation for Ireland’s future prosperity.

“The budget holds to our successful economic strategy. We are holding to our promise to keep taxes down and to keep jobs coming,’ she said.

The Tánaiste also reiterated that 90% of the minimum wage of €7 to be introduced next February will be exempt from tax.