Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 239: To ask the Minister for Finance his views on the establishment of a national loan scheme whereby members of the public would have the opportunity to make funds available to the State for a defined period of time in return for a specified, guaranteed rate of return. [4664/09]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I would like to draw the Deputy's attention to the fact that savings bonds, savings certificates and national instalment savings, three of the Government's personal savings products for which the National Treasury Management Agency is responsible, allow individuals to invest in fixed-term, fixed-rate instruments which are part of the National Debt. They are available for purchase through any Post Office.

The Agency's personal savings products generally had a particularly successful year in 2008, bringing in almost double the highest annual level of receipts since the Agency was established in 1990. Between them, savings bonds, savings certificates and national instalment savings brought in some €600 million net in 2008, bringing the amount outstanding in respect of those products to €4.9 billion at the end of the year.