Could the cost of pandemic rewards for public sector workers wipe out all other available resources in the forthcoming budget? To discuss further Anton was joined on the show by Pat Leahy Political Editor of The Irish Times and Sebastian Barnes, Chairman of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council.

Listen and subscribe to The Pat Kenny Show on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.

Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.

You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.