Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 September 2014
89. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the context of the upcoming budget if he will give consideration to increasing the capital funding allocations for the horticulture, forestry and aquaculture sectors to achieve output targets and employment growth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36124/14]
View answerThe 2015 Estimate for my Department will be considered within the context of the annual gross expenditure ceilings that were provisionally allocated to all Departments at the time of budget 2014 and the comprehensive review of expenditure 2015 - 2017. The Government decision in relation to the expenditure ceilings was taken in order to strike a balance between needs and priorities on a multi-annual basis, to meet the requirements of the overall fiscal commitments which are firmly focused on returning the public finances to a sustainable path and to reduce the General Government Deficit by end 2015.
Preparations for the discussions on the 2015 Estimate are under way in the Department and all budget lines in the Vote, both capital and current will be examined as part of that process having regard to the funding constraints for next year. My intention is to ensure that all resources available to my Department will be managed to provide the optimum benefit to economic activity in the agricultural, food, fisheries and forestry sectors, including farm incomes, and to realising the potential which clearly exists for the sectors to contribute to the national economic recovery.
