Micheál Martin says Budget will ‘protect for the future’ as final preparations under way

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said Budget 2024 “will provide supports to people” to help them deal with inflation, as well as “consolidate and improve” housing-related measures.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with ministers before today’s spending package is announced, Mr Martin also referred to the free primary schoolbooks scheme and said: “We will be seeking to build on that in the forthcoming budget.”

He said population increases and inflation had put “significant pressures” on the health budget, one of the remaining sticking points to be decided.

Fianna Fáil have put a particular emphasis on a fund to provide for women in the future.

In an Instagram video, Mr Martin said: “Above all we want to protect for the future and we want to provide finances to ensure that people’s entitlements into the future are secure.

“This relates to young people, people aged in their 20s and 30s, that over the next decade or so we will have a sufficiency of support and finance to make sure we can provide protections, pensions, employment supports, education right across the board for people.

“So we’re building for the future to secure your future with the necessary resources and to manage those resources in a wise way.

“This is a budget focused on the needs of people today, and in the years to come.” His comments come as Government ministers met to finalise the measures to be included in Budget 2024 which will be revealed on Tuesday.

PACKAGE

The total Budget 2024 package is about 6.4 billion euro, including taxation measures worth 1.1 billion euro.

Senior Government figures have already indicated that cost-of-living measures will not be as large as last year’s package.

The Budget will be delivered by Finance Minister Michael McGrath and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe on Tuesday.

Mr McGrath indicated on Saturday that people’s standard of living would improve on the back of the budget, and said he hoped the measures would have their desired effect.

Among the measures being floated are one-off electricity credits worth less than last year’s, a cut in the USC and measures to help both landlords and renters.

Green party leader and Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan told reporters on Monday “there’s a lot more work to do on the climate agenda”.

Mr Ryan said Government will have temporary supports to deal with the “high energy crisis period”.

He said energy credits would not be “that dramatically different” to those announced last winter.

Mr Ryan said a PRSI increase was being examined as “the right thing to do”.

“We need some tax raising measures. We have to get the balance here. The economy is at full tilt.

“We have to protect people from the cost-of-living impacts but at same time, we have to make sure that we maintain sustainable public finances.”