Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 157: To ask the Minister for Finance the extent to which his Department have monitored the expected impact of recent interest rate increases on the economy and the consumer; the way in which economic growth is expected to be affected in the event of further interest rate increases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25309/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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My Department continually monitors interest rate developments from the point of view of analysing current and future economic developments.

Notwithstanding recent increases, interest rates remain low in historical terms and recent increases would appear to have had a limited impact on the economy so far. Future impacts depend on the scale of any further increases and on the state of the EU and world economy generally at the time.