The CSRA was established under section 22 of the Finance Act, 1950 (as amended) which provided for an annuity to be charged on the Central Fund to meet the principal and interest on borrowings for voted capital services. Successive Finance Acts specified the amount of the annuity where money was borrowed to fund capital services in that year. A fixed amount could be used for servicing (interest payments) of the public debt, with the balance being applied for principal repayments (“Sinking Fund”).

Following the amendment of section 22 of the Finance Act, 1950, by section 99 of the Finance Act, 2014, the annual annuity charge on the Central Fund and payment to the CSRA ceased from 2015.

The balance in the CSRA is maintained by the Agency at a level which is subject to guidelines issued by the Minister for Finance under section 4(4) of the National Treasury Management Agency Act, 1990. Under ministerial guidelines dated 24 September 2014, the balance in the CSRA at year end 2015 was to be less than €1 million. To adhere to these guidelines, the Agency transfers excess funds from the CSRA to the Exchequer Account before year end.

5.1 Movement in the Account for the Period

5.2 Derivative Transactions

The Minister for Finance may enter into transactions of a normal banking nature in accordance with section 54(7) of the Finance Act, 1970.

Transactions of a normal banking nature include activities such as forward exchange deals, swaps and interest on deposits which are related to debt servicing costs. Receipts from such transactions, other than those in a currency for which a foreign currency clearing account has been established under section 139 of the Finance Act, 1993, must be received into the CSRA. Such amounts may be used to make payments and repayments in respect of normal banking transactions or towards defraying interest and expenses on the public debt.

In addition, transactions of a normal banking nature include derivative transactions entered into by the Agency with the National Asset Management Agency (“NAMA”) (in accordance with sections 52 and 235 of the National Asset Management Agency Act, 2009 and Statutory Instrument No. 203/2010) and the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Limited (in Special Liquidation) (“IBRC”) (in accordance with section 17(4) of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Act, 2013, and Statutory Instrument No. 57/2013). Such transactions entered into with NAMA and IBRC are offset by matching transactions with market counterparties. As a result there is no net effect on the account.

Receipts and payments in respect of derivative transactions undertaken in respect of the National Debt, IBRC and NAMA in the period are outlined below: