NTMA: Investor sentiment towards Ireland improving

International investment sentiment towards Ireland has improved in the past three months, according to the Chief Executive of the National Treasury Management Agency.

Dr Michael Somers said today that the announcement of recent measures by the Government to tackle budget deficit had sent out a positive signal.

The NTMA has revealed that the national debt up to the end of 2008 was €50.4bn, which compares to €37bn at the end of 2007.

“Earlier in the year we could only really get money for about three years,” Dr Somers said.

“In June, that had increased up to ten years. We were able to get €6bn - ten year money - which showed the enormous change in sentiment towards Ireland.

“Even this week, we've had three different financial operations - in each of those we raised about a billion euro.”