The Department of Finance has said it is disputing the IMF's analysis on how much the State will have to pay to sort out the banking system.
In a report yesterday, the IMF said that out of 19 developed economies, Ireland would pay about €24 billion, the highest Government bail-out as a proportion of economic output.
But the department says the IMF is reckoning that the banking guarantee will be called upon at some stage - a scenario the Government is working strenuously to avoid.
It also claims that the numbers are based on very technical measures and do not involve any actual examination of Irish banks' assets.
It has emerged that the IMF revised the online version of the report to correct its figure for Britain's exposure to toxic debts.
In the Dáil earlier, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore also raised the IMF's financial stability report. In response, the Taoiseach questioned the figures used in the IMF report.
Brian Cowen also told the Dáil that he expects an interim chief executive and board for the recently established National Asset Management Agency to be put in place as soon as possible. Mr Cowen described NAMA's work as a 'mammoth task'.
Deputy Gilmore asked how many staff NAMA would employ and if the agency was affected by the recruitment embargo. The Taoiseach said staffing would be a matter for the board and the Finance Minister and that under the aegis of the NTMA, recruitment could take place.
