The cabinet on Wednesday approved a supplementary budget worth around €148.5m to cover additional expenditure in various sectors.

The extra spending concerns €20m for support schemes for workers and businesses stricken by the fallout of the Covid pandemic and €10m to boost low pensions.

Nineteen million euros will be spent on asylum seeker allowances, €10m on medicines, €45m on defence, €11m on civil aviation, and €5m on farming subsidies.

The budget will also cover the cost of creating a social welfare junior ministry.

It is expected to be submitted to parliament for immediate approval