Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 December 2012
213. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to the publication of the White Paper on 30 November 2012, if he will provide an explanation for the variance between forecast voted capital spend in 2012 of €3.411 billion compared with budget of €3.6 billion. [55392/12]
View answerIt is a matter for individual line Departments to monitor and control the roll out of their own capital programmes within the ceilings and sanction arrangements set down by my Department. Queries in relation to underspends within individual Departments should be directed to the relevant Minister and his/her Department.
The most up to date figures for the forecast outturn of net voted capital estimates in 2012 were published in The Expenditure Report 2013 which is available on my Department's website (www.per.gov.ie). Table 3a shows the forecast outturn for net voted capital estimates in 2012 as €3.5 billion. It also shows a revised 2012 Estimate for net capital expenditure (reduced from €3.6 billion to €3.5 billion) reflecting changes to the capital ceilings following a number of Supplementary Estimates in December.
The forecast outturn, as published in The Expenditure Report, includes carryover of unspent capital into 2013 of €107 million. As the Deputy will be aware, the capital carryover facility was introduced as part of the rolling multi-annual capital envelope system in order to allow Departments to manage their capital budgets more effectively.
It is important to note that the forecast outturn figures as published in The Expenditure Report are Departments' best estimate, as of end November, of what their final net capital spend will be at year end. Actual figures for capital expenditure by Departments in 2012 will be available in early 2013.
Any underspend in the capital budget will be returned, as a saving, to the Exchequer.
