Economics

Extra €800m could be freed up to combat cost of living crisis

The figure comes from internal Department of Public Expenditure and Reform projections about what could be remain from the unallocated €3.9bn contingency fund for 2022

Michael McGrath, the Minister for Public Expenditure: not drawn on exactly how much money would be available for one-off measures this year. Picture: RollingNews

An extra €800 million beyond what was announced last week could be available for once-off cost of living measures in 2022, the Business Post has learned.

The figure comes from internal Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) projections about what could be left over from the unallocated €3.9 billion contingency fund for 2022, which is also being used to fund additional Covid-19 measures and supports for Ukrainian refugees.

Combined with last week’s announced €400 ...