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Departmental Expenditure

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 December 2012

Thursday, 13 December 2012

Questions (46)

Michael McGrath

Question:

46. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of money allocated to his Department in 2012; the amount spent up to 30 November 2012; the amount profiled for expenditure by that date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55979/12]

View answer

Written answers

The total Vote funding available to my Department for 2012 is €1.339 billion. This includes €27 million capital funding carried over from 2011. A profile of projected expenditure on a monthly basis is drawn up at the beginning of each financial year in order to anticipate the Department’s funding requirements and financial management over the course of the year. The profile which is the best estimate of expenditure available at that time is difficult to forecast and may vary significantly during the year for a variety of reasons, such as the level of payments under demand led schemes, the pattern of draw-down of Grants-in-Aid by State bodies, etc.

The total actual gross expenditure incurred over the period 1 January to end November was €1.046 billion. This compares to a profiled expenditure of €1.169 billion for the same period. For a variety of reasons, a number of budget lines were behind profile at the end of November. I expect that in most cases expenditure will ‘catch up’ before the end of the year. All elements of expenditure are being monitored and managed carefully with a view to minimising savings on this year’s Vote. While the final outcome is to a large extent driven by factors outside the Department’s control, I do not expect a significant underspend this year.

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