The ink was hardly dry on the announcement of this week’s €250 million package of supports to respond to increases in the cost of fuel when the Government was signalling there might be more on the way.

Opening a housing development in Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow on Wednesday morning, Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris told journalists that the Government “may have to intervene further” later in the year if the crisis in the Persian Gulf continues.

Indeed, some of the thinking in Government suggests that if the elevated fuel prices continue, there might have to be two more packages of aid, one before the summer and one in the October budget.

“Thank God we have a surplus,” Harris noted.

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We won’t have one for very long if they keep this up.

For good measure, Harris also indicated that he intends to have tax cuts as part of next year’s budget.

“I still intend to deliver a budget in October that will seek to enable people to keep more of their own money as well,” he said, though he added that it was a little early for budget speculation. Ah, only a little, Minister.

The package of measures announced this week had been........

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