Politics

€250m gap in Sinn Féin’s alternative budget uncovered

Official documents show significant discrepancies between what party presented to public and what finance chiefs estimated

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald: disparity between the party’s alternative budget figures and Department of Finance calculations. Picture: Getty

A significant gap of at least €250 million has emerged between Sinn Féin’s alternative budget and what Department of Finance officials concluded the measures would cost, new documents reveal.

Announced in the run-up to the actual budget in October, across more than 50 pages the party outlined what it said was “a credible fiscal plan”, including a €6.8 billion package of measures aimed at investment in housing, healthcare, and easing the burden during the cost-of-living ...