Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 31 Jan 1979

Vol. 311 No. 1

Written Answers. - Foreign Lending Agencies.

165.

Mr. B. Desmond

asked the Minister for Finance the amount standing to be repaid to foreign lending agencies in 1979, 1980 and 1981, distinguishing between interest and principal, and between each agency concerned.

Minister for Finance (Mr. Colley)

It is understood that the Deputy's question relates to the debt outstanding in different currencies. Estimates of the amounts to be paid in the years indicated are given in the attached table on the basis of the rates of exchange for the Irish pound at the end of 1978.

Following is the statement:

Forecast of Foreign Debt Service Costs, 1979—1981 £000's

Currency	1979	1980	1981
Interest	Principal	Total	Interest	Principal	Total	Interest	Principal	Total
U.S. Dollars	56,081	87,853	143,934	47,811	55,586	103,397	40,747	63,277	104,024
Deutsche Marks	14,506	7,463	21,969	13,681	34,510	48,191	10,895	20,856	31,751
Pounds Sterling	3,143	1,241	4,384	3,101	110	3,211	3,078	119	3,197
Dutch Guilders	4,012	12,429	16,441	2,738	—	2,738	2,738	6,256	8,994
Swiss Francs	10,568	—	10,568	10,461	—	10,461	10,343	14,411	24,754
Belgian Francs	1,615	—	1,615	1,615	—	1,615	1,615	—	1,615
Luxembourg Francs	100	41	141	96	45	141	93	49	142
European Units of Account	2,420	2,786	5,206	2,159	2,786	4,945	1,898	2,786	4,684
Kuwaiti Dinar	1,100	9,601	10,701	239	543	782	194	543	737
UAE Dirhams	1,731	—	1,731	1,731	—	1,731	1,731	—	1,731
Japanese Yen	2,829	—	2,829	2,829	—	2,829	2,829	51	2,880
Total	98,105	121,414	219,519	86,461	93,580	180,041	76,161	108,348	184,509

The exchange rates used to construct this table are those of the Central Bank of Ireland at end 1978: 1 Irish Pound = 1 Pound Sterling, 2.041 U.S. Dollars, 3.7146 Deutsche Marks, 3.2962 Swiss Francs, 58.82 Belgian Francs, 58.82 Luxembourg Francs, 396.36 Japanese Yen, 1.4809 EUA, 4.0228 Dutch Guilders, 0.552 Kuwaiti Dinar and 7.8 UAE Dirhams.