Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 113: To ask the Minister for Finance the full extent of the national debt in each of the past five years to date in 2010; the cost and means of servicing the debt; the projected costs over the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17559/10]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The level of national debt for the period from 2005 to end-March 2010 is set out in the table below.

*Figures have been rounded to nearest €bn

Expenditure on national debt interest amounted to €21⁄2 billion in 2009. Based on the projections for the Exchequer Borrowing Requirement for the years to 2014 set out in Budget 2010, the estimated cost of interest on the national debt is €41⁄2 billion in 2010, €53⁄4 billion in 2011, €61⁄2 billion in 2012, €71⁄2 billion in 2013 and €73⁄4 billion in 2014. The National Treasury Management Agency has advised that, as is usual, these estimates were prepared on the basis of the prevailing market conditions for Irish Government bonds at that time.