Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 11 together.

The Government Economic Managment Council has been established with the status of a Cabinet committee. It has four members: myself, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. A second Secretary General has been appointed in my Department whose responsibilites included managing support for the council and reporting to the Tánaiste on matters relating to the council. Additional support for the council is provided from within the existing resources of my Department, working in close conjunction with staff from the Departments of Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform and Foreign Affairs and Trade.

It is a Cabinet committee and therefore confidentiality of discussions at the Economic Management Council is protected by the Constitution. In line with longstanding practice, it is not appropriate to answer questions about proceedings at the council and the agendas of future meetings.

The council normally meets every week and has met 14 times since the summer recess. In addition, on 9 November, the members of the council met with representatives of the three largest banks to discuss the issue of lending to small and medium enterprises. We also took the opportunity to make the banks aware of the Government's view on the passing on of ECB interest rate reductions to their customers.

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