Overseas Loans: Republic of Ireland
(asked on 19th March 2019) - View Source
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they granted a bilateral loan of £3.2 billion to the government of the Republic of Ireland in 2010.
This question was answered on 2nd April 2019
As the then Chancellor said at the time, the government agreed in 2010 to provide a bilateral loan to Ireland because it was overwhelmingly in the UK’s national interest to have a strong Irish economy and stable banking system. The links between our financial systems, particularly in Northern Ireland, mean that there was a strong economic case to provide financial assistance to Ireland. By being part of the international financial package, the UK indirectly supported the very many businesses across the UK that trade with Ireland.
As the then Chancellor said at the time, the government agreed in 2010 to provide a bilateral loan to Ireland because it was overwhelmingly in the UK’s national interest to have a strong Irish economy and stable banking system. The links between our financial systems, particularly in Northern Ireland, mean that there was a strong economic case to provide financial assistance to Ireland. By being part of the international financial package, the UK indirectly supported the very many businesses across the UK that trade with Ireland.