Noonan defends clean bailout exit

Finance Minister Michael Noonan brushed aside warnings from the Fiscal Advisory Council that he should have applied for a precautionary credit line from the EU’s rescue fund, the ESM.

He sounded a note of caution, however, saying that the country and the eurozone was going through a benign period.

“It’s a good period and we will monitor it very closely next year,” he said.