Fiscal discipline

2017 Budget maintains fiscal discipline: PM O'Neill

He said the Government has been very careful to reduce expenditure where it could be sustained, while also continuing to invest in areas that are vital for ongoing economic and social development.

“The best budgets are not those that are delivered with an abundance of revenue to draw from, but are budgets that are delivered in tight fiscal times that also increase essential services.

“The difficult global economic environment with reduced commodity prices and uncertainty in key trading partners has placed pressure on our economy.