Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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To ask the Minister for Finance if he will report on any recent discussions with Troika officials. [38966/12]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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There is a good and professional relationship with the EU Commission, the ECB and the IMF (The Troika) at all levels and this is reflected in the reports that are published after each Review. As the deputy may be aware, contact between the Irish authorities and the EU, the ECB and the IMF concerning the support programme continues before, during, and after the review missions. In particular, officials from my Department along with the Department of Pubic Expenditure and Reform, the Central Bank, the NTMA and the appropriate Government Departments are in contact with the Troika on a frequent basis. In this context, I, and my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Mr Brendan Howlin T.D., will meet with the Troika delegation during the upcoming quarterly review of the EU / IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland.

The ongoing discussions are part of the regular programme management arrangements. Such discussions culminate in the quarterly programme reviews, and the resulting amendments, if appropriate, to the programme documents. These are made publically available at the appropriate time.

Furthermore, the Irish Government has been working extremely hard to secure a deal on enhancing the sustainability of the Irish Programme and further detailed work will be stepped up to ensure that the recent developments in Europe, particularly the agreement reached by the Euro Area Heads of State or Government on 29 June last, are harnessed to maximise the benefit to the Irish taxpayer. This work has involved dedicated technical discussions by senior Irish officials with the external partners. I also take the opportunity to raise these issues with the EU, ECB and the IMF as appropriate, for example at the recent informal meeting of EU Finance Ministers in Cyprus.

It is my intention to meet again with the Troika delegation during the upcoming quarterly review. The review will comprise of a series of meetings/discussions to evaluate all the elements of the programme including fiscal adjustment, the macro-economic outlook, progress on commitments in the restructuring of the financial sector and structural reform.