Vol. 497 No. 2
212 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Finance if he will report on the definition of current spending employed by his Department with specific regard, apparently on the initiative of the Government, to include Central Fund costs in this definition for the first time. [24333/98]
As the Deputy is aware the Government programme, An Action Programme for the Millennium, puts a 4 per cent limit on the growth of net current expenditure.
Net current expenditure comprises net current Supply Services and Central Fund Services.
Gross current supply services shows the overall level of current expenditure by Departments. Net current supply services shows the level of current expenditure voted by the Oireachtas. These are arrived at by deducting from gross current supply services the receipts which are taken into Department Votes through Appropriations-in-Aid.
Central Fund Services are paid for directly from the Central Fund on statutory authority without being voted annually. Central Fund Services mainly cover payments for the redemption of debt and other items such as Ireland's contribution to the EU budget and judicial salaries and pensions.
This definition of current spending is well established.
The Government's programme made quite clear the way in which current spending was to be defined. I have also explained that I would be using this definition of current spending for the purpose of calculating the 4 per cent spending limit in answers to parliamentary questions and also in a number of speeches.
