Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 November 2018
203. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the degree to which he remains satisfied that each Department continues to effectively operate best practice in the context of public expenditure and reform with a view to ensuring long lasting benefits for the persons and the economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49489/18]
View answerManaging the delivery of public services within allocations is a key responsibility of each Minister and Department. There are important measures in place to ensure that our budgetary targets are being met and my Department is in regular contact with all other Departments and offices to ensure that expenditure is being managed within the overall fiscal parameters. Expenditure profiles are published for each month, and the drawdown of funds from the Exchequer is monitored throughout the year and reported on against profile on a monthly basis in the Fiscal Monitor published by the Department of Finance.
The management of expenditure within the overall fiscal parameters over the last number of years has played a key role in ensuring that we have continued to meet out fiscal targets. However, given the scale of Government expenditure - €61.8 billion in aggregate for gross voted expenditure in the Revised Estimates Volume (REV) 2018 - and the cash basis of Government accounting, the need for Supplementary Estimates can arise for a number of reasons, including policy decisions, timing issues, and overspends. They are a budgetary tool that allows for the proper alignment of funding allocations with planned expenditure. Of course, they can only be allowed where they can be accommodated within the overall fiscal parameters.
As set out in the most recent Fiscal Monitor, total gross voted expenditure at end-October 2018 was €49,931 million, which is broadly on profile. Net voted expenditure of €40,142 million was €168 million below profile with net voted spending in 14 out of 17 Vote Groups being below profile.
Ensuring long-lasting benefits for citizens and the economy requires a focus on value for money. A number of measures are in place to support value for money in terms of capital and current expenditure. During 2018, my Department has engaged with a range of Departments on year two of the Spending Review process, with a view to reinforcing a systematic analysis of existing spending programmes, focusing on an assessment of efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability. In the last two years of the Spending Review process, over 50 analytical papers have been produced.
In relation to capital expenditure, the National Development Plan (NDP) has set an investment in infrastructure of almost €116 billion over the ten year period to 2027. Such a level of investment requires a strong framework to drive its implementation and increased transparency on the projects and programmes being supported by this investment. In this regard, a high-level Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board has been established. The Project Delivery Board will continue to provide strategic direction and leadership to the NDP and National Planning Framework (NPF) implementation process. The Delivery Board will monitor and oversee implementation structures and performance across the various sectors to ensure a co-ordinated and collaborative whole of Government approach to NDP and NPF delivery.
