The Net Voted Allocation for my Department's Vote in 2013 is €7.927 billion. In a Vote this size, it is not unusual for actual expenditure, at a given point in time, to be at variance with the profile of expenditure prepared at the beginning of the year. Net projected current expenditure of €6.186 billion at the end of October 2013, was running €114 million or 1.8% behind the profiled figure of €6.3 billion, mainly due to the following factors:
a) Superannuation payments were running €56 million (6%) behind profile, with teacher and VEC/IOT staff retirements being less than originally profiled. Based on superannuation payments to date, there could be a possible underspend in the region of €60 million at year-end on these subheads. The overall 2013 allocation for superannuation expenditure is €1,128 million;
b) Teacher/SNAs Payrolls were running €20 million (0.6%) behind the profiled figure of €3.07 billion;
c) Grants to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) in respect of Student Support are running €17 million (6%) behind the profiled figure of €945 million. This is a timing issue, based on the levels of monies tranched to SUSI. It does not relate to the payment of grants to students. It will not result in an end-year underspend;
d) Grants to Universities and Institutes of Technology are running €19 million behind the profiled figure. This is a timing issue based on claims received from the Higher Education Authority to date. No end-year underspend is anticipated.
e) Expenditure on a range of other miscellaneous subheads is running €2 million behind profile.
zsAs indicated by me in the context of the announcement of Budget 2014, projected superannuation savings on the Education Vote are being offset against upward pressures in relation to final Redress payments to victims of institutional child abuse and additional provision for supporting children with special needs for the current academic year.
My Department is carefully monitoring all expenditure on my Vote as the year-end approaches and, with careful Vote management, I expect overall expenditure to come in on target.
