But what has become increasingly clear, in the Treasury and in the Bank of England, is that the Merlin targets are a blunt instrument.
The Bank of England describes the Merlin numbers like this: "these data are not collected under the Bank of England's statistical code of practice and definitions of data vary across banks".
The company's challenge is to turn the Merlin, an anti-submarine and search-and-rescue vehicle, into a craft that can also take over the Sea King's airborne surveillance and control duties without breaking the bank.
ENGADGET: What's Past is Prologue: a look inside the future of Lockheed Martin
As you can see, there is scope for the banks to hit the targets without fulfilling the spirit of the Merlin agreement, which was to provide credit to where it is needed most.
Or to put it another way, the way the Merlin data are compiled is a bit like allowing football clubs to each have a different method for deciding how many league points they get from matches.
As agreed in the Project Merlin deal, Barclays has disclosed the pay of its five highest-paid executives below board level for the first time.
As for lending to small business, RBS has to date marginally missed the so-called "stretch" targets it agreed with the government under the Project Merlin agreement - and like all the big banks, it stands accused of not doing enough to support smaller or younger companies that represent the UK's economic future.
Inside the temple is the source of Alcina's power: an urn containing the ashes of the sorcerer Merlin.
For a long time leading up to the release of the results of the trial, dubbed MERLIN, the company had been saying that the safety results would be more important than the efficacy results.
She remained with Disney after leaving the "Mickey Mouse Club, " appearing in TV shows including "Zorro" (1957), "The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca" (1958) and starring in the Disney feature films "The Shaggy Dog" (1959), "Babes in Toyland" (1961), "The Misadventures of Merlin Jones" (1964) and "The Monkey's Uncle" (1965).
That said, the banks are more-or-less hitting the so-called Merlin targets, agreed with the Treasury, for lending to businesses, including small businesses.
Interest was so great in the event that Merlin stopped promoting it a few days before.
Dubai International Capital, the former owner of Madame Tussauds, took an 18% stake in Merlin after the theme park company bought the chain of wax museums' parent in 2007.
Giving the annual MacTaggart lecture, Elisabeth Murdoch - whose production company makes Masterchef and Merlin for the BBC - also praised the corporation for its creative leadership.
It would have been embarrassing for Barclays if it were lending less to businesses than it promised the government it would do under Project Merlin, because that agreement between the big banks and the Treasury was its idea (or, more precisely, that of its previous chief executive, John Varley).
The extra week is being funded by Merlin Entertainments, which operates several of the town's attractions.
Now RBS has failed to hit the so-called "stretch" targets for lending to small businesses, agreed with the Treasury in Project Merlin, by a modest margin.
And Lloyds says lending both to businesses in general and to important small businesses are on course to beat the targets for 2011 agreed with the Treasury in the so-called Merlin agreement.
The Ouse Washes includes a large floodplain which is looked after by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and provides a habitat for the Bewick's swan and whooper swan and wintering birds of prey, including the hen harrier, merlin, peregrine falcon and short-eared owl.
For what it's worth, the gossip in bank boardrooms is that Mr Varley is so miffed at the apparent implosion of his assiduous efforts to agree a deal with ministers (which went by the moniker of Project Merlin) that it contributed to his decision last week to step down as chief executive a few weeks earlier than originally announced.
Dickinson is the writer of The Changes Trilogy, Tulku, and Merlin Dreams, while Anne Fine's book Madame Doubtfire inspired the Hollywood film Mrs Doubtfire, starring Robin Williams.
But right now the government is cutting the banks some slack, partly because Project Merlin was not signed until February 9, so for the first 40 days of the quarter the banks were not subject to the agreement and were able to lend as much or as little as they chose.
Merlin Entertainments, the Poole, England company running the Legoland, hopes to escape the economic damage.
So why is SME lending a bit behind the schedule outlined in Project Merlin?
Tampa plaintiff lawyer William Merlin is using the Allstate rogue site to hunt for witnesses in the six lawsuits he has already filed against the company.
Other options include attending the NFL Hall of Fame Merlin Olsen Luncheon or even playing a round of golf at otherwise private English Turn Country Club, which long hosted the PGA Tour.
FORBES: You Can Attend Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans - Like Beyonc��
So the so-called Project Merlin lending figures, due to be published next month, will be scrutinised, to see whether Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Santander have lent to business what they promised the Treasury they would lend.
Atlantis, a new 13-part drama, will also take the Saturday night slot previously held by Merlin.
Merlin's images in the radio region of the spectrum are of comparable quality to those of the Hubble Space Telescope observing optically.
Another study, MERLIN, could open up the drug to a broader population.
应用推荐