Bailout ends but no real change in austerity – Minister

The Minister for Finance says Ireland will still have to impose tough austerity measures even though the Troika are leaving.
Michael Noonan says the Irish budget deficit remains too high and that more efforts are needed to bridge the gap between income and spending.
He has admitted that not much will change next Monday when the Troika gives up its role in managing Irish economic affairs.
Minister Noonan says the Irish people are the heroes of the recovery, but says the hard work is not done yet.
“We must continue with the same types of policies because the deficit is too high and it has to be brought down below 3 percent, and then it has to be brought into balance in subsequent years” he said.
“The debt is too high, and we have to have strategies to make the debt even more sustainable than it is now” he added.