Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 January 2010
702 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the savings outlined in the Report of the Special Group on Public Numbers and Expenditure Programmes which were accepted in budget 2010 for his Department in tabular form; the savings which will be achieved in 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1252/10]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the recommendations in the Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes represented a set of options that were given appropriate consideration by Government in the context of the 2010 Budget. The Government decided, as part of its strategy to manage its way through the current severe economic crisis and to return the country to prosperity, to reduce spending on public services by almost €1 billion in 2010 compared with the pre-Budget estimates. To the greatest extent possible, the savings have been sought through efficiencies rather than through reductions in services.
In the case of my own Department, gross funding at €415.426m in 2010 is a reduction of 13% relative to the 2009 allocation of €475.701m. Current funding is reduced by 9%, a decrease of €32.1m, and capital funding is reduced by 21%, a decrease of €28.175m.
The breakdown of these reductions is provided in the recently published Budget Estimates Volume. However, for the Deputy's convenience, the table shows the breakdown by Programme Area of my Department.
|
Programme Area |
2009 Estimate |
2010 Estimate |
% Change |
|
€ |
€ |
% |
|
|
Developing Communities |
163,316 |
140,908 |
-14 |
|
Tackling Problem Drug Use |
40,611 |
36,200 |
-11 |
|
Rural Development |
102,422 |
101,627 |
-1 |
|
Gaeltacht & Islands Development |
85,918 |
62,501 |
-27 |
|
Promotion of the Irish Language |
9,375 |
6,591 |
-30 |
|
North/South Co-operation |
55,102 |
52,990 |
-4 |
In a joint statement with the Minister of State at my Department, Mr John Curran, T.D., on Budget Day, we stressed that our primary concern is to make every effort to ensure that the daily front-line services provided with funding from my Department are protected, especially those focused on the needs of the most socially deprived communities. Every saving that can be made from cutting down on overheads will be pursued so that the entire range of urban, rural, Gaeltacht and island communities we serve retain, to the greatest extent possible, the services that have been developed in partnership with them over the years.
Details of the breakdown under the various subheads will not be available until the publication of the 2010 Revised Estimates Volume in due course.
