Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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171. To ask the Minister for Finance the factors that underline the year-on-year change in the equity and loan transactions listed in table A1 of the economic and fiscal outlook in Budget 2019. [44673/18]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Equity and loan transactions affect the Exchequer balance but are excluded from the general government balance under the European System of Accounts 2010 framework. This is because they are essentially an exchange of one type of asset (e.g. cash) for another (e.g. equity or loans). For example, the sale of AIB shares in 2017 benefitted the Exchequer but had no impact on the general government balance as this was a financial transaction.

Table 10 in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook published in Budget 2019 outlines the exchequer position, including the main transactions with no general government impact. Major drivers of the change in equity and loan transactions include central bank surplus income and the receipts from NAMA, the latter of which are expected in 2020 and 2021. The relevant part of the table is reproduced below for the Deputy’s convenience.