merrion street

A statement was released today by Finance Minister Michael Noonan and Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Brendan Howlin in relation to the end-March 2011 Exchequer Returns.

An Exchequer deficit of €7,066 million was recorded in the first quarter of 2011. This compares to an Exchequer deficit of €3,942 million in the

corresponding period in 2010.

Commenting, Minister Noonan said:

The Exchequer deficit in the first quarter of the year, at just under €7.1 billion, is broadly in line with my Department’s expectations at this point in the year and means that we have met the target set under the joint EU/IMF programme of financial support...

While the weakness in certain taxes is a concern, the overall Exchequer targets set in the Budget remain valid at this point in the year. My Department is currently in the process of updating the macroeconomic and fiscal outlook in preparation for the submission of our Stability Programme Update to the European Commission by the end of this month.

Commenting on Expenditure to date in 2011 Minister Howlin stated;

At €10.9 billion, overall net voted expenditure is up 1.7% year-on-year. This is largely due to the reclassification of health levy receipts to form part of the Universal Social Charge, which has the effect of increasing net voted expenditure. Overall net voted expenditure is being managed within the limits set out in the Revised Estimates and was €255 million below profile in the first quarter of the year.

The Ministers concluded that:

The Government’s decisions last week to restructure the Irish banks and to improve credit availability are necessary elements of economic recovery.  These decisions combined with the implementation of the Programme for Government will put Ireland on the road to economic recovery.  The Government is now moving on to the next phase of our plan, the Jobs Fund, which will create a more attractive environment in Ireland for investment and job creation.