Government urged to ease back on budget 2014 after recessionary figures released

The Government is being urged to ease back on the 2014 budget targets - after new figures show Ireland is back in recession - for the first time since 2009.

The Central Statistics Office said the economy contracted in the first quarter of the year - driven by a fall in exports and consumer spending.

Revised data now shows there was also a decline in growth in the fourth quarter of 2012 - as well as the third quarter of last year.