Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 98: To ask the Minister for Finance his priorities for the year ahead and the achievements from the Programme for Government to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36203/12]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, my Department recently published its revised Statement of Strategy for 2012-2014. This document, which is available at on the Department's website www.finance.gov.ie, sets out the Department's five key goals for the period:

1. A resilient Irish economy founded on sustainable and balanced growth and leading to significant increases in employment numbers.

2. A sustainable macroeconomic environment and sound public finances.

3. An improvement in the living standards of our citizens.

4. Return by Ireland to international debt markets so as to achieve an exit from the EU/IMF funding programme at the earliest possible date.

5. Completion of the restructuring of the banking system and a vibrant, secure and well regulated financial sector. The Statement of Strategy also outlines the Department's mission "to manage Government finances and play a central role in the achievement of the Government's economic and social goals having regard to the Programme for Government." The Department has made significant progress in implementing the relevant aspects of the Programme for Government: 28 commitments have been implemented, 21 are on-going or underway while 5 are under review or cannot be introduced in the manner in which they are stated in the Programme for Government. More detail on the all the Programme for Government commitments are available in the Programme for Government Annual Report 2012 available at www.taoiseach.gov.ie. Since the publication of that report there has been further progress in a number of areas including the publication of the Personal Insolvency Bill, the publication of a report of the regional meetings on credit supply, the on-going move toward decreasing Government support to the banks, the publication of the Commission on Credit Unions' final report, the publication of the Fiscal Responsibility Bill, the on-going work to implement a property tax, and continuing augmentation of the skill set of the Department, including the position of Chief Economist which was advertised externally.