Follow the budget in Ireland live

Sceala Clann T.D. Location: Wicklow

For those of us in Ireland ...the dreaded day is now upon us ....follow the budget news live.
The Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan, is expected to start his Budget speech in the Dail at approximately 3.45pm

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Latest budget tracks
Paraic Mooney of car dealer EP Mooney, which went out of business last week, says a 'green' car scrappage scheme would give him hope that he could restart his business.

Sean O'Rourke has asked Sean Whelan if Brian Lenihan will provide some 'moral compensation' for the public by taxing the rich in some way. Will we ever get over what happened in Paris?
1.19pm

David McCullagh says Independent TD Michael Lowry has confirmed that he will be supporting the Budget following discussions with Government officials.
1.16pm

Dr Joe Barry, Professor of Population and Medicine at Trinity College, says the proposed cut on excise on alcohol will have social and health consequences. He believes people will increase their drinking after the cut.
1.12pm

David McCullagh says the Government is hoping to push through any changes as quick as they can and in plenty of time for Christmas.
1.05pm

Sean Whelan says there will be some 'small scale surprises', but they will not have a major effect on the overall Budget.
1.03pm

Sinn Féin Dáil Leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin has said his party will not support a Budget that includes cuts to social welfare rates and the pay levels of low and middle income earners.
1pm

Across the water, British Chancellor Alistair Darling has said the country's VAT rate will return to 17.5% on 1 January as planned, with no other changes in VAT. The rate was cut to 15% just before Christmas last year.
12.42pm

RTE's Economics and Political Correspondents, Sean Whelan and David McCullagh, will join newsreader John Finnerty for the One News.
12.35pm

The RTÉ Newsroom is a hive of activity as journalists from all platforms prepare for the busiest day of the year.
12.15pm

Protestors have already begun to gather outside Leinster House to express their opposition to measures that are expected to be introduced.
11.55am

Rossa White, chief economist with Davy stockbrokers, has said the Government 'is finally getting a handle' on the deficit.

He said: 'This Budget and the next one will be the two hard ones. The Budget will involve very tough political decisions. Once you give something to someone it is very hard to take it back.'
11.42am

Brian Lenihan has posed for photographs with his Budget at Government Buildings.
11.30am

Once today is over, Brian Lenihan could be even less popular than a certain French footballer.
11.25am

The Taoiseach told the Dáil he regrets that unions are considering a long and sustained campaign of industrial action in the wake of the failure to agree a cost-cutting package in the public sector.
11.20am

This is the Minister's third Budget in 14 months, in Budget 2008 he promised to protect the vulnerable by not cutting social welfare.

He said: 'We are determined to protect the most vulnerable in our society and we will redirect resources to that end.'
11.15am

Brian Lenihan will be live on Today with Pat Kenny tomorrow morning. If you have any questions for the minister you can email todaypkATrte.ie or phone 1850 715 900. Text your comments to 51551
11.10am

Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the purpose of today's Budget was to stabilise the deficit and to send out the necessary confidence that Ireland will manage its affairs.
10.55am

Green Party TD Ciarán Cuffe says the banks would still require more funding if they were nationalised. He also said it is 'important that we protect older people'.
10.54am

Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore accused the Government and their 'banking and property developer friends' of ruining the economy.
10.46am

A statement from Sinn Féin says their Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin will call on the Government to stop protecting the wealthy and deliver a fair Budget.
10.45am

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has told the Dáil any further funding for re-capitalisation of banks will not be incorporated in any figures that appear in the Budget.
10.38am

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said that this will not be the Minister's first Budget, but 'it could be your last'.
10.34am

RTÉ Political Correspondent David McCullagh says there will be some surprises or 'the hand grenade hidden in the detail'.
10.31am

RTÉ's Brian Dobson has described today as a 'momentous day' as he introduced Leaders' Questions on RTÉ One.
10.26am

Incoming INTO General Secretary Sheila Nunan says it is inevitable that public servants will be facing 'an imposed pay cut' by the time the Minister finishes his speech.
10.22am

Ed Walsh tells Pat that despite the current economic gloom, Ireland has several things going for it, including 'a young workforce and low corporate tax rates'.
10.15am

Fr Peter McVerry tells Pat Kenny that he is 'galled' by a E4,000-a-week minister telling ordinary people how to live their lives. ISME Chief Executive Mark Fielding hopes the minister 'gets the balancing act right'.
10.05am

Pat Kenny asks if the minister will deliberately try to please no-one because it is so hard to please everyone.
10am

Yesterday Eamon Gilmore told the Dáil that Mr Lenihan was planning a coup after he intervened in the pay talks with public sector unions.

He said: 'The bottom line, Taoiseach, is that you have a Minister for Finance who is now so anxious to get his hands on your job that he was prepared to sink this agreement.'
9.50am

Europe is watching to see how Minister Lenihan does. Can he proves his critics wrong and restore confidence? The Financial Times says the Budget is 'the big test of whether the country is on the road to recovery'.

Mr Lenihan was recently voted in the FT as the worst of 19 finance ministers in the European Union. The group of economists chose France's finance minister Christine Lagarde as the best.
9.45am

Peter Murtagh of The Irish Times has told Ryan Tubridy that 'the Celtic Tiger was limping across the road last year, but was run over by a ten-tonne truck this year'.
9.36am

Speaking on his way into Government Buildings Brian Lenihan said: 'The Government and all of the ministers have secured the €4bn necessary in expenditure reductions that will be done today.'
9.26am

Brian Cowen's pay cut will bring his salary down from €285,583 to €228,466, while ministers' salaries will drop from €225,196 to €191,417.
9.15am

Ryan Tubridy says today could turn out to be a 'Black Wednesday' by the close of business, but he has promised to provide an oasis away from the Budget coverage on RTÉ Radio One.
9.05am

RTÉ's Sean Whelan says the Government has four years to get the deficit down to acceptable levels so it will spread the pain. The European Commission has given Ireland until 2014 to bring its budget deficit into line with EU rules.
8.57am

Brian Lenihan told John Murray that this Budget would be 'a turning point for our public finances'. He said there will be no need for a supplementary Budget in the near future, but he refused to comment on any speculation regarding a 'green' car scrappage scheme.
8.54am

RTE's John Murray says Taoiseach Brian Cowen arrived at Government Buildings at 7.40am and was followed soon afterwards by Minister for Cuts ... sorry ... Finance Brian Lenihan.
8.50am

As Cilla Black used to say, here is a 'quick reminder' of RTÉ's Budget 2010 coverage. For those planning to watch from behind the sofa, programming starts at 3.20pm on RTÉ One.
8.41am

George believes the Government has 'mismanaged the fruits of economic boom'.
8.31am

Sean's predecessor George Lee, who is now a Fine Gael TD, says the Government is too focused on cuts and not concentrating on creating jobs. He has described it as a 'Budget of Despair' for workers, families and the poor.
8.30am

Sean Whelan says the Government has to demonstrate that it is in control of the State's finances and public spending.
8.27am

RTÉ's Economics Correspondent Sean Whelan says the Government spin doctors will focus on pay cuts for Taoiseach Brian Cowen and his Ministers.
8.23am

Brian Keegan, Director of Taxation at the Institute of Chartered Accountants, tells Aine Lawlor on Morning Ireland that Budgets are easier to call in a downturn.
8.20am

However, if the Government was to collapse, RTÉ's Political Correspondent David Davin-Power said Fianna Fáil would be 'turkeys voting for Christmas'.
8.17am

The Budget will be voted on the Dáil this evening. It is expected to pass with the help of Independents. One of those Independents, Jackie Healy Rae, said he will support the Government after he got assurances on a new 42-be hospital in Kenmare.
8.14am

Minister Lenihan will also indicate changes to the tax system to be introduced from 2011 on.
8.07am

Budget 2010 is expected to include cuts to public service pay, social welfare, children's allowance and capital spending amounting to some €4bn. It will also introduce a new carbon tax on fossil fuels.
8.05am

Director of Retail Ireland Torlach Denihan says the measure is needed as the retail sector is 'in crisis'. He hopes it will stop shoppers going across the border in the run up to Christmas.
8.00am

Youth Work Ireland has criticised proposed cut in excise on alcohol, saying it 'beggars belief'.

Michael McLoughlin of YWI said: 'Ireland needs to break its obsession and dependence on alcohol, which now seems to be present at the highest level of Government. Alcohol is not a normal product and the normal economic rules cannot apply to it.'
7.55am

One of the 'silver lining' measures that he is set to introduce is a cut in excise on alcohol. However, that has received a mixed reaction.
7.52am

The Minister said he would like to give hope to people as he attempts to generate confidence and stimulate economic growth.
7.47am

Speaking to reporters yesterday evening Mr Lenihan said: 'It will be a difficult Budget, but we'll put the country back on the road to recovery.' He added that it would be 'the last of the very difficult Budgets'.
7.44am

Government Ministers are due to be briefed this morning on the fine detail of the Budget plans ahead of Brian Lenihan's speech. Mr Lenihan addressed the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party last night.
7.40am

RTÉ's David Davin-Power, speaking on Morning Ireland, says Minister Lenihan 'has designs on people's pay packets in successive budgets'.
7.22am

Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1 right now has extensive pre-Budget 2010 coverage. Click here to listen
7.05am

Good morning and welcome to our live text commentary of Budget 2010.
7am

The Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan, is expected to start his Budget speech in the Dáil at approximately 3.45pm, but we'll bring you the latest developments in the countdown to the Budget here until then.

Once the minister starts speaking, we'll bring you the Budget 2010 details as they are being unveiled.

We're also running a Twitter feed.

Budget 2010 programming starts at 3.20pm on RTÉ One. RTÉ Radio 1's coverage starts at 3pm and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta starts its Budget 2010 coverage at 3.30pm.

Irish Forums Message Discussion :: Follow the budget in Ireland live

Follow the budget in Ireland live