The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has said that without accounting for policy measures in key areas such as health and housing, the budget estimates for next year will include an increase of approximately €3 billion in core expenditure.
Michael McGrath said this would be in addition to the €70.4 billion in voted expenditure allocated to departments in revised estimates for 2020 that were published last December.
The minister said that of the €3 billion extra in core spending that would be needed, €2 billion would be in current spending and €1 in capital expenditure.
Addressing the Oireachtas Committee on Budgetary Ovesight, Mr McGrath said of the €2 billion in additional current spending it is estimated that there are