TRANSPORT Minister Leo Varadkar risked the wrath of thousands of struggling families by suggesting the Budget will be so easy they will be able to afford to take a holiday next year.
The minister’s bizarre comments come just a week after experts said every family was going to be €600-a-month worse off as a result of the string of austerity measures.
Despite the array of financial headaches facing the public, Mr Varadkar claimed households would still have money “to take a holiday” because “it won’t be all bad”.
“Incomes will remain untouched,” he said. “The only people whose pay is being cut are ministers and senior civil servants. That means incomes will be the same next year.
“You’ll have to pay €100 for your house and 2pc on a new TV or fridge but that’s it. That means people will be able to take a holiday, which they might not have been able to afford this year.”
But the minister’s remarks came on a day when it emerged:
- The jobs crisis had deepened with another 1,700 signing on the dole last month.
- The total number of unemployed rose to 448,600.
- A new rise in health insurance premiums of up to 10pc was expected next year.
- Spending on credit cards collapsed.
- One in 10 went without heating at some stage this year.
- Poverty levels hit a critical stage with one in five classified as living in deprivation.
Consumers’ Association of Ireland chairman Michael Kilcoyne said Mr Varadkar had moved into the world of “make-believe”.
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