A surplus of over 600 million euro is to be recorded this year, according to the government's pre-budget White Paper published last night.
It predicts the exchequer's to run a billion euro deficit, but when other incomes are accounted for, it changes to a 609 million euro surplus.
It comes as government abandons a promised 500 million euro top-up to its Rainy Day fund, amid overspends in the Department of Health and Social Protection to the tune of 450 million.
Labour leader Brendan Howlin says the Government u-turn has exposed the fund as a failure: " I believe, and I raised it in the Dail this week, that its much more prudent to protect jobs under threat than to try and replace jobs lost. I think the billions of euros should be deployed immediately to support industries under threat from a no- deal Brexit. That is something the Finance Minister should announce on Tuesday."
