Government must make 'trade offs' for Budget - Chambers

The Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers is to warn his Cabinet colleagues that they will have to make trade offs as the Government moves to moderate spending in Budget 2027 amid global uncertainty over the war in Iran.

Ahead of next month's Budget announcement, Mr Chambers is expected to tell ministers at this morning's Cabinet meeting that they must "prioritise and make choices and trade offs for 2027".

He will say expenditure will increase by seven billion euro next year, representing a 6% increase on 2025, but still a moderation on the spending increases of recent years.

The reminder for his fellow Ministers comes with Budget preparations intensifying as the Dáil resumes from its summer break later today.

It is unclear how the warning will be received by ministers amid some friction earlier this year when the Fianna Fáil deputy leader announced spending curbs and introduced levies for each Department to pay for cost overruns in the Department of Education.

The move comes as the Coalition mulls on whether to extend excise cuts on petrol and diesel due to be unwound from 1 November.

Opposition parties are pushing for an extension as prices at forecourts spill over two euro ten cent a litre.

The cost of the cut to the state is roughly €100 million euro a month, but the costs generated by the move have been largely absorbed by reducing the Budget surplus the Government intends to run.

Mr Chambers will say that there is an obligation on Government to ensure Budget 2027 measures demonstrate a clear link to improved outcomes and better public services for people, and that there is a need for ministers to identify efficiencies and reforms which can be reinvested in priority areas.

Minister for Finance Simon Harris has proposed a €1.5 billion tax package for Budget 2027 while senior Government figures yesterday signalled there will be cuts to home heating oil to help alleviate the pressure on families.

Redress scheme

Separately, long delayed plans to introduce a remediation scheme for defective Celtic Tiger-era apartment owners will be among 32 pieces of legislation the Government prioritises in the new Dáil term.

The Government announced a redress scheme in 2023 for up to 100,000 apartments and duplexes built between 1991 and 2013, which are beset by issues including fire safety concerns, water ingress and structural problems.

The €2.5 billion scheme has been stalled amid concern within the Departments of Public Expenditure and Finance over the cost of the scheme to the Exchequer.

The plans are part of the Autumn Legislation Programme drafted by Government Chief Whip Mary Butler, which will be rubber-stamped by Cabinet later.

Assessment of Needs

Cabinet ministers will also discuss plans to overhaul the Assessment of Needs (AON) system.

An AON is a formal legal process carried out by the HSE to identify a child's health and educational needs stemming from a disability, and to determine the appropriate public services required to meet those needs.

However, there are too few specialists in the system and lengthy waiting lists have become the norm.

The Minister for Children, Disability, and Equality Norma Foley and Minister for State with responsibility for Disability Emer Higgins are bringing a memo to Cabinet tomorrow on the Disability (Amendment) Bill 2026.

The plans have been approved by Cabinet before last year but the ministers are restating them before they head to Dáil for final-sign off before President Catherine Connolly signs them into law.

Assessment officers will be supported by eleven new teams, comprising 44 expert staff who will provide clinical guidance and support during the AON process.

Each team will include a psychologist, a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist and an administrator.

Officers will now make clear that the AON process should be focused on establishing the needs for a child, rather than lengthy and complex reports on a diagnosis of disability. It is hoped the plans will see Ireland move towards more assessments being delivered within the statutory six-month timeframe.

Minister for Communications Patrick O'Donovan will seek Cabinet approval to create a new Digital Connectivity and Infrastructure Taskforce.

It will replace the old Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce and will seek to help remove mobile phone and internet black spots, particularly along roads and rail networks, among other key priorities.