Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has said that the latest interventions the government has announced to respond to Covid-19 can be maintained and "we can afford them".
Speaking on RTÉ's This Week programme, Mr Donohoe said these commitments are aimed at restoring the economy. Mr Donohoe did not clarify how long the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment would remain in place.
He said he will be having talks with the Taoiseach over the next few weeks and that they will be "having to make decisions about getting the balance right." He said they have to take into account that there would have been many people unemployed before Covid-19 hit, receiving jobseeker allowance and other forms of social welfare and income support. "What we need