Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 February 2013
556. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government according to the monthly Exchequer Returns if he will provide a breakdown of the the €352 million of capital funding spent by his Department during December; the reason 46% of his Department’s overall capital spend was held until December; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5135/13]
View answer557. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason his Department had a capital underspend of €65 million for 2012; what this funding was due to go towards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5136/13]
View answer562. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of his Department’s €740 million capital spending for 2013 that will go towards construction projects; the projects are involved; the details of these projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5274/13]
View answerI propose to take Question Nos. 556, 557 and 562 together.
My Department is responsible for a wide range of capital programmes, including in the areas of housing, water services, environmental protection, local government services, and community and rural development. The following table gives a breakdown of capital expenditure of some €308m across the relevant programme areas in December 2012:
Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government Capital Expenditure - December 2012
|
Programme |
€m |
|
Housing |
158.5 |
|
Water Services |
129 |
|
Environment / Waste |
2.5 |
|
Local Government |
7.5 |
|
Community/ Other |
10.5 |
The Estimates for Public Services 2013, published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, provide for carryover of €43 million of capital funding from 2012 for use on my Department’s programmes this year in the housing, environmental, local government and community areas. In its management of capital programmes, my Department deals with applications for recoupment of expenditure as they are received from local authorities and other bodies, and makes the associated payments as they arise in the course of the year. Capital expenditure on the relevant progammes has, however, tended to be incurred more towards the end of the year; this has been associated with, inter alia, the timing of the completion of work by contractors and of the certification of that work; use of annual planning processes in respect of some programmes; the timing of submission of applications for recoupment to the Department; and the need to address any issues arising on applications before payment is made. In addition, adverse weather conditions in any year can delay progress and subsequent payment applications on many projects, particularly where groundworks and external finishing works are concerned. The savings on capital expenditure in 2012 can be attributed, inter alia, to financial constraints on local authorities impacting on the progress of the water services programme and slower than anticipated project spend by Local Action (Leader) Groups under the Rural Development Programme.
As regards capital expenditure in 2013, a total of €740 million (and the carryover amount of €43 million brought forward from 2012) will be available for investment in a range of capital projects across the various programmes. Details of projects will be made available as part of ongoing programme management in the expenditure areas concerned.
