Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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413. To ask the Minister for Finance to provide the volume of gold or gold receivables held by the Central Bank at the end of each year since 2014, in tabular form; the value of that holding as of that year end; where the gold is currently held; the annual cost of securing the holding; the current market value of the gold holdings; when the last disposal of gold occurred; the amount sold and the price achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11723/25]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Central Bank that at the end of 2024 the Bank held 12 tonnes of gold and gold receivables at a market value of €971m.

The Central Bank’s gold bars are held in custody at the Banque de France and at the Bank of England. The annual costs of these gold custody fees are minimal.

The Central Bank has not disposed of any gold holdings in recent years. The Central Bank increased its holdings of physical gold during 2021 and early 2022 as part of the diversified longer-term investment strategy for the discretionary investment assets, aimed at improving balance sheet resilience. Stocks of gold are primarily in the form of gold bars but also include a small amount of gold coins.

Gold is one of a number of asset classes held by the Bank as part of its investment asset holdings, the full range of which is published in its annual report.

This table shows the end year volume/amount and value.

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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414. To ask the Minister for Finance to outline the value of foreign exchange reserves by Ireland as of end-2024; to provide a breakdown by currency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11724/25]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I should say that the Exchequer had no foreign currency reserves/assets at end-2024.

I am informed by the Central Bank that since the introduction of the euro the role of foreign exchange reserves has changed. The ECB now holds the foreign reserves for the Eurosystem, to which the Central Bank of Ireland contributed a portion (circa 2%) upon the establishment of EMU. At the end of 2023, the ECB held foreign currency assets of €55.2 billion. This portfolio of several different currencies is managed across the euro area, with Ireland’s portion managed by the Central Bank amounting to approximately USD1bn. This is available to the Eurosystem should the need arise to intervene in the foreign exchange market.

A portion of the Bank’s own investment assets are denominated in foreign currency. See breakdown below of the Central Bank’s foreign currency denominated investment assets as at end-2023:

The end-2024 breakdown will be published as part of the Central Bank’s 2024 Annual Report.