Budget 2021: How the day will unfold

From 8.30pm tomorrow TDs will vote on any financial measures that must pass by midnight.

Today will be a long day for all involved in Irish politics with what looks likely to be over 17 hours of meetings, speeches and press conferences for the Government and opposition parties alike. 

There will be blanket media coverage throughout the day, with charities, NGOs and industrial bodies all readily available to comment on the Government's offering. The Dáil is being held in Dublin's Convention Centre in order to ensure Covid-19 safety guidelines are being followed and will see TDs move back and forth across the Liffey throughout the day to attend speeches and votes and back to Leinster House for traditional press conferences on the plinth or at the government press centre.

8am:  Full cabinet meeting. An early start for the government as the cabinet has a full meeting, discussing the budget, press strategy and any other issues they believe might arise during the course of the day. In this meeting they will agree on the narrative they will feed to the press and public on what the budget offers and predict what attack lines their opponents will seize upon.

1pm: Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath take to their feet. Over the course of an hour, they will cover what is in the budget and why certain decisions were made, for one hour. This is the most nervous time for the Government as they await how the budget will be received by the public. The fear is that an overlooked detail will be pointed out and in turn could threaten the entire budget. In the past, governments have been forced to announce changes in order to save the package.

Michael McGrath, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Finance putting the finishing touches to budget 2021 at department offices in Dublin yesterday. Picture: Moya Nolan

2pm: After this, each opposition party leader or finance spokesperson speak for 45 minutes on their issues with the budget, what they believe the country needs in terms of financial aid and where they would have differed. Although they will have speeches prepared, they will have to skim through the budget book in order to pick out the bigger issues they disagree with while the government ministers are speaking. Their staff do the same from their offices, messaging TDs who sit in the chamber with attack lines.

3.30-4.30pm:  The first of the day's press conferences will be held in the government press centre, with Tanaiste Leo Varadkar representing the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.

4pm: It's expected that during this period, opposition parties will begin holding their own press conferences after staff and TDs have had time to digest the budget in full and begin detailed critique.

5pm-5.45pm: Department of Environment, Climate and Communications and Department of Transport will give their press conference with Minister Éamon Ryan and Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton shortly after Mr Varadkar's.

6pm-6.45pm: Heather Humphreys will represent the Departments of Employment Affairs and Social Protection / Rural and Community Development at the Press Centre.

7pm: Both Ministers Donohoe and McGrath will hold the final government press conference for Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform and Finance

8.30pm: TDs will vote on any financial measures that must pass by midnight. Due to the government's strong majority, no surprises are expected.
The Dáil is due to adjourn at 12.40am.