Ireland to delay 4-year plan till after poll

The Irish government will delay publication of the details of its four-year fiscal plan until after a by-election for an empty parliamentary seat is held on November 25, The Irish Times reported on Friday.
Without citing any sources, the newspaper said the government was hoping to minimise internal dissent by leaving as little time as possible between the publication of the austerity measures and the unveiling of the 2011 budget on December 7.
The government had intended publishing the four-year plan in mid-November.
The by-election for the vacant seat in the northwestern county of Donegal is likely to cut the government's majority to just two, meaning the passage of the 2011 budget, crucial to markets' view of the country, will be on a knife-edge.
Ireland said on Thursday it was planning to push through spending cuts and tax hikes totalling 6 bln euros next year, the toughest budget in the country's history, in a last-ditch effort to convince investors it is not on the verge of financial meltdown.