The budget-making ministers, Jack Chambers and Simon Harris, had insisted there would be no 'in-year' spending increases for departments. Thorny political problem? This is new money, not coming from within the department’s existing budget. The lesson of this climbdown is clear: if the political pressure is sufficient, the Government will find the money to solve the problem. And that, in turn, makes it harder to hold the line on public spending in future.

Source: The Irish Times February 24, 2026 21:56 UTC