# What is the maturity of government debt?



## dewdrop (31 May 2010)

I have only a limited knowledge in this area. I had thought especially in the sixties onwards that governments funded their annual deficits by the issue of National Loans which had a maturity date of up to 20 years and had a sinking fund each year to ensure cash available on maturity.  I now seem to get the impression that at least some of the National debt "has to be rolled over" which i take means that we have been funding our deficits by short term borrowing which practice had led the banks into all their problems. Maybe i am all wrong!


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## Protocol (31 May 2010)

Govt borrowings range in maturity from under 1 year to 20 years or more.

See www.ntma.ie for more info.

Here is a quote from their website on short-term debt:


*The NTMA operates the following short term programmes*

US$50 billion Euro Commercial Paper Programme
Housing Finance Agency EUR6 billion Euro Commercial Paper Programme
Exchequer Notes
Section 69 Multicurrency Notes
Central Treasury Service for non-commercial State bodies
Cash management as part of the ECB's Liquidity Management for the euro area
Treasury Bills
US$20bn US Commercial Paper Programme


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## dewdrop (31 May 2010)

Thanks Protocal


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## tiger (1 Jun 2010)

Worth checking out http://www.irisheconomy.ie/ if such matters are of interest.


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## Sunny (1 Jun 2010)

tiger said:


> Worth checking out http://www.irisheconomy.ie/ if such matters are of interest.


 
I used to think so but have given up on that site. The decent analysis gets lost in constant moaning and people trying to prove how clever they are and how stupid the Government is. It's liveline for economists.


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