Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 105: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will identify all assessments, reviews or reports being carried out by him under the terms of the EU-IMF programme of financial support; if these assessments, reviews or reports are being carried out internally by him or independently; when he expects each assessment, review and report to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10658/11]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Given the nature of the EU/IMF Programme and the resulting content of the Programme documents, there are numerous references to assessments, reviews and reports. Most of these concern regular reporting requirements that Ireland has to comply with or the quarterly reviews of Programme compliance by the EU, ECB and IMF (Troika). However, there are references to a number of assessments, reports, reviews and studies where these represent, or are pivotal to, the delivery of an action/condition.

The texts of the Memorandum on Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) and the Memorandum of Understanding on Specific Economic Policy Conditionality (MoU) are generally clear on deadlines and responsibility for the item in question is normally clear from the issue it relates to. Furthermore, there are also references in some cases to "independent" reviews, reports or assessments. The Government is committed to ensuring that the deadlines specified in the Programme are complied with. Both the MEFP and the MoU have been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and circulated to all Deputies in a composite document that also includes the letters of intent to the Troika.

With regard to the areas under the responsibility of my Department, and that of my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform, Mr Brendan Howlin T.D., I would draw the Deputy's attention to the following: · The Government is preparing legislation to introduce a new single pension scheme for all new entrants to the public service. In framing the legislation, a review was carried out by my Department of accelerated retirement for certain categories of public servants and indexation of pensions to consumer prices. The results of the review have informed the preparation of the new scheme which, under the programme, must be legislated for by the end of September 2011. · There are several references to the Comprehensive Review of Public Expenditure, which comes under the aegis of Minister Howlin. This review, which is ongoing, is expected to be completed next September. · Minister Howlin's Department will also have primary responsibility to review by the end of September 2011 whether the achieved and projected savings arising from administrative measures to increase efficiency and from public service numbers reductions will meet the projected level required to achieve the fiscal consolidation targets in the Programme.

Finally, the Central Bank of Ireland also has to complete a number of reports, etc. under the EU/IMF Programme. These include: · An independent advisor is in the process of validating the methodology used in the estimation of future credit losses of Anglo and of performing a three year lifetime loan loss forecast for INBS. The Central Bank will release the conclusions of this exercise in May. · A detailed action plan to strengthen the Central Bank's capacity to supervise credit institutions is to be prepared by end-June 2011. A comprehensive progress report on implementing this action is required quarterly for the duration of the programme. · Six-monthly progress reports on loan-to-deposit ratios are to be submitted to the external authorities from July 2011, with updates to be provided on the intervening quarters. · Quarterly progress reports on implementing the strategy for the reorganisation of Irish credit institutions are to be submitted to the external authorities from the end of this Quarter. · A report on the treatment of loans in arrears under the Code of Conduct for Business Lending to Small and Medium Enterprises is to be published by the Central Bank by the end of September 2011. · A report on the evolution of the capital within the banks covered by the Prudential Capital Assessment Review (PCAR) must be prepared by the end of the year and annually thereafter. · A progress report of the banks' deleveraging plans under the Prudential Liquidity Assessment Review (PLAR) 2011 is to be discussed with the external authorities by the end of the year and every six months thereafter. · The Prudential Capital Assessment Reviews for 2012 and 2013 have to be completed by end-June 2012 and 2013 respectively.