Pandemic will have added €35bn to the national debt by year's end

Paschal Donohoe will also tell his Cabinet colleagues today that the projected economic recovery depends on the vaccine rollout

Finance minister Paschal Donohoe Picture: Moya Nolan

The Covid-19 pandemic will have added more than €35bn to the national debt by the end of this year, the Cabinet will hear today.

The State will run a deficit of €17bn this year on top of last year's €18.5bn deficit due to the economic shutdown caused by the pandemic, after the budget surplus in 2019.