Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 124: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will provide data on the total value of Irish pension funds to which the 0.6% pension levy applies. [21046/11]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will provide data on the value of Irish pensions funds divided between personal retirement saving accounts, retirement annuity contracts, executive schemes, company defined pension schemes, company defined contribution schemes, hybrid schemes and other schemes; and the numbers of members and contributors under each type of scheme. [21047/11]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 126: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will provide data on the value of funds from outside the State invested in Irish pension funds and products. [21048/11]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 124 to 126, inclusive, together.

There is no general requirement for data on the value of Irish pension funds to be returned to my Department or to the Revenue Commissioners. Neither is there a requirement for data on the value of the investments of such funds held outside the State to be returned to either of those bodies. I am not, therefore, in a position to provide the Deputy with the relevant data in the manner requested. Certain of the data requested on Irish pension funds in relation to personal retirement savings accounts and occupational pension schemes may be available from the Pensions Board which operates under the aegis of my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection.

The estimate of the annual yield from the temporary 0.6% stamp duty levy on pension fund assets (€470 million per annum) is broadly based on estimates of the end-2010 aggregate value of such assets derived by my Department from various sources in the public and private sectors and taking account of the exclusions from the levy provided for in Finance (No 2) Act 2011. The aggregate estimated value of assets on this basis is €78 billion.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 129: To ask the Minister for Finance the valuation of pension funds by bank and pension provider (details supplied) based here. [21051/11]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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There is no general requirement for data on the value of Irish pension funds to be returned to my Department or to the Revenue Commissioners. I am not, therefore, in a position to provide the Deputy with the data in the manner requested.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 130: To ask the Minister for Finance the average percentage rate of income tax relief granted to persons for making pension contributions (details supplied) for each tax year 2000 to 2009, inclusive; and the value of income tax foregone as a result in each year. [21052/11]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the relevant information available is in respect of income tax relief allowed for contributions to Retirement Annuity Contracts (RACs) and Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs) for the income tax years 2002 to 2008. RACs and PRSAs are available to the self-employed and to employees not in occupational pension schemes. The information is set out in the table, which provides the amount of allowable deductions, the tax reduction and the percentage of tax reduction to allowable deductions. The information in the table is based on income returns contained in Revenue records at the time the data were compiled for analytical purposes, representing approximately between 85% and 95% of all returns expected, depending on when the data was extracted for each year. These are lower than the figures used to provide the annual estimates of cost to the Exchequer because the latter, in accordance with normal practice, are grossed-up at aggregate level to adjust for the perceived level of incompleteness.

Retirement Annuities and Personal Retirement Savings Accounts* - 2002 to 2008

*Figures for contributions to PRSAs are included for 2003 and later years.