Vol. 487 No. 3
164 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance if he will have arrangements made to give the same tabulated and detailed information on savings on subheads as is given to upward revisions of subheads in the case of votes for Supplementary Estimates; and if he will publish in a timely and tabular form details of virement in votes that do not give rise to a Supplementary Estimate. [1213/98]
Information on the amount of and the reasons for any savings and excesses arising on particular subheads on Votes in any year is given in the Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts for that year.
The Appropriation Accounts give details by subhead and in tabular form of the original estimate, any supplementary estimate and the final outturn position on Departmental expenditure. The accounts also include notes explaining the causes of variations between the outturn and estimate provision, both savings and excesses.
I have no plans at present to publish details of the use of virement. However, I will ask my Department to bear this in mind in the context of the examination of public financial statements which I announced in my budget speech.
