Cumulative Profiles of Expected Exchequer Expenditure and Revenue 2013

This note contains the latest statistics on mortgage arrears and mortgage restructuring, as well as a brief description of the new bankruptcy regime.

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on the proposed successor to the Croke Park Agreement

The National Service Plan 2013 sets out the type and volume of services to be delivered by the Executive in 2013

Government’s proposed framework for reform of the health service, published in November 2012

Presentation by Prof. Ruane on the Report of the Expert Group on Resource Allocation and Financing in the Health Sector.

The 2010 Ruane Report examines the current system for allocating resources in the health system, and suggests substantial changes so that resources can better support health care principles and goals.

Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare March 2012

There are many areas where the performance of the EU can be improved. Improving the governance of banks and addressing public debt have dominated recent efforts in Ireland and across the Union. Now that the promissory note aspect of our banking crisis has been addressed, there is an opportunity to focus on another area where the performance of the EU and Ireland is inadequate. There has been significant policy failure in the implementation of EU directives in Ireland and other Member States. The European Affairs Committee of the Oireachtas (Parliament) should be given an explicit mandate to monitor and report on our performance. Ireland should use its influence in Europe to put this issue on the EU agenda

The official source of data on household and individual income and living conditions in Ireland. Includes national poverty indicators, such as the at risk of poverty rate, the consistent poverty rate and rates of enforced deprivation

A Fat Tax would be an inefficient and ineffective means of tackling obesity. It would come with a dramatically increased regulatory burden, and would hit the poorest hardest

Statement by the EC, ECB, and IMF on the Review Mission to Ireland Feb 2013

Under the EU/IMF Programme, Ireland is committed to start charging for water by the end of 2013. This documents outlines the case for these charges.

Economic Adjustment Programme for Ireland Autumn 2012 Review

New Targeted Voluntary Redundancy Scheme in Public Sector

Some have complained that the residential property tax that will be applied in Ireland from 2013, which will be based on the market value of the property, will be unfair to Dubliners, because property values are higher there than elsewhere in Ireland. The value of the 298 properties sold in Dundrum, County Dublin are compared with the value of the 25 properties sold in Dundrum, County Tipperary, over the 2010-2012 period, using the Residential Property Price Register (RPPR). The median value (and associated full-year property tax in brackets) for Dundrum, County Tipperary are €100,001-150,000 (€225); the equivalent for Dundrum, County Dublin are €350,001-400,000 (€675); the median property owners in County Dublin will pay €450 more in annual property than their counterparts in County Tipperary. But the former have manifold advantages over the latter, including easy access to tax-payer subsidised infrastructure and services in: transport, culture, sports, education, health; and the widest range of life style possibilities, job options and entrepreneurial potential on the island. These benefits are reflected in property prices and therefore in property taxes; this is fair and appropriate. The timeliness and transparency of the property price evidence available on the RPPR is impressive, as is the quality and clarity of the background information and responses to ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ provided by the Revenue Commissioners. One weakness is that the price is not converted into price per M2. This gap should be corrected as a matter of urgency. The data, combined with the Revenue Commissioners’ ability to nudge us towards compliance with a variety of soft and hard measures, make it likely that most of us will comply.

The present system of government accounting puts significant barriers in the way of achieving the optimum use of external service delivery.

Ireland: Eighth Review Under the Extended Arrangement; Staff Report; Staff Supplements; and Press Release on the Executive Board discussion

IMF Completes Eighth Review Under the Extended Fund Facility with Ireland and Approves €0.89 billion Disbursement.

Eurostat has published figures showing social protection expenditure in 2010 for the EU27 and five other European countries.

The Government has announced the introduction of a residential property tax from 1 July, 2013 in place of the household charge. The new tax follows the Report of the Interdepartmental Group on Property Tax which has been published.

A report on personal incomes based on the tax year 2010. The statistics relate to income assessed for the tax year 2010 based on tax returns processed up to April 2012. PAYE data is based on completed end-of-year returns from employers of which up to 96% were processed in time to be included. The information relating to self-employed taxpayers represents 83% of the expected total tax returns.

EU IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland November 2012

The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing

The report of the inter-departmental group on Property Tax design, chaired by Dr. Don Thornhill

Speech by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin

Recent developments, economic forecasts, and their impact on the Irish fiscal position

Budget Day speech by Minister for Finance Michael Noonan

Budget 2013 tax changes and their projected impacts

Eurostat New Release: In 2011, 24% of the population were at risk of poverty or social Exclusion

A quick summary of some of the issues and challenges relating to the design of a Property Tax.

Eurostat - Ireland spent 29.6 % of GDP on social protection in 2010(35.6 % of GNP)

2013 Estimates of Receipts and Expenditure (Pre-Budget). Department of Finance.

Adjusting for our relatively young population, Ireland has the most expensive health system in Europe. The OECD ranks the productivity of the Irish health system 28th out of 28 and estimates that GDP could be increased by 4.8% if a series of reforms were undertaken. So there is compelling case on economic and health effectiveness grounds for addressing reform. The Government’s “Future Health” document is hugely significant in that, if acted upon, it will affect our well- being and economic and social performance like no other initiative. If we get it wrong, it will cause huge damage. If we get it right, it could be transformative in a positive sense.

Macro-Financial Review November 2012. Central Bank of Ireland

OECD Economic Forecast for Ireland (Summary) November 2012

This Report issued by the Institute of Public Administration brings together Irish and international indicators on the size, efficiency and legitimacy of the public sector and institutions of State

Employment Earnings Inequality in Ireland 2006 -2010. Seminar Presentation

Report on Earnings Inequality in Ireland 2006 - 2010

Department of Finance - Medium Term Fiscal Statement November 2012

Irish Times article by Ashoka Moody.

Quarterly Financial Accounts for Ireland Quarter 2 2012. Central Bank of Ireland.

This release contains important data on savings and household deb.

Earnings And Labour Cost Data 2011. Central Statistics Office.

The latest EU Commission Economic Forecast for Ireland - 7 Nov 2012

EU Commission, Occasional paper 119, October 2012

Commentary on the Deficit in the Social Insurance Fund.

1 November 2012 In this paper Holland and Portes present the results of their macro-econometric model of the EU. Specifically they argue that because of the times we live in, large scale and largely uncoordinated fiscal consolidations across the EU will lead to a collective fall in GDP and an increase in debt to GDP ratios. The increase in debt is obviously the opposite of what was intended. The main conclusions are: *While in 'normal times', fiscal consolidation would lead to a fall in debt-to-GDP ratios, in current circumstances fiscal consolidation is indeed likely to be 'self-defeating' for the EU collectively. *The fiscal consolidation plans currently in train will lead to higher - not lower - debt ratios in 2013 in the EU as a whole. *This will also be true in almost all individual EU nations. *Ireland is an exception.

A review of recent work on measuring the impact of austerity from the ESRI, with implications for how we view the pain it imposes.

This paper examines the implications of the proposed reforms to the 4 largest UK public service pension schemes. These are The National Health Service, Teachers, Local Government and Civil Service schemes. It concludes that these reforms would reduce the value of pensions by more than one-third. It also compares the value of these schemes with average private sector schemes