Noonan: Progress on French support for better debt deal

Finance Minister Michael Noonan says progress has been made on securing French support for a better deal on Ireland's banking debt.

Minister Noonan has also refused to rule out the possibility that a deal on the Anglo promissory notes could be done before the end of the month, when the Government must make a repayment of €3.1bn.

Speaking after a meeting in Paris with the French Finance Minister Francois Baroin, Minister Noonan said that in European affairs "things go right up to the end".

However he admitted that the European Central Bank will make the ultimate decision on whether Ireland will get a better deal on its Anglo Irish Bank debt.