European Stability Programmes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 March 2014

Tuesday, 25 March 2014

Ceisteanna (240)

Stephen Donnelly

Ceist:

240. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide an estimate of the earliest date at which his Department will publish the stability programme update; and if he will guarantee that members of the Houses of the Oireachtas will have at least two weeks to interrogate the document and suggest amendments for his Department’s consideration, before it is submitted to the European Commission in accordance with the requirements under the European semester. [13527/14]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Finance

Each Member State is required to submit an annual update of its Stability Programme (Convergence Programme in the case of non-euro area Member States) in April, outlining the overall fiscal stance over the short- and medium-term.

The Government intends to publish its 2014 Update of the Stability Programme in draft format by mid-April. Following engagement with the Houses of the Oireachtas the final document will subsequently be submitted to the European Commission by the end-April deadline, in accordance with our legal requirements.