Paul Donnelly
Question:445. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Defence the estimated amount of the unspent allocation under Vote 36 for each of the years 2018 to 2021, in tabular form. [11234/22]
View answerTuesday, 1 March 2022
Questions (445)
Written answers
On an annual basis, the Vote 36 (Defence) allocation is determined within the overarching budgetary framework and approved by Dáil Éireann, with multi-annual capital envelopes determined as part of the overarching National Development Plan.
The Defence Vote Group also includes Vote 35 (Army Pensions). Expenditure under the Army Pensions Vote is essentially demand-driven and non-discretionary. In any given year, it is very difficult to predict accurately the exact number of voluntary early retirements from the Defence Forces with entitlement to immediate payment of retirement benefits and as a result, there can be an underspend or a requirement for additional funding. Such additional funding is met through the Supplementary Estimate process. In 2018, an additional €3.5 million was required and in 2019, an additional €1.9 million was needed. These amounts were met from savings in Vote 36 (Defence).
Any savings arising in Vote 36 (Defence), with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, when not utilised to meet requirements in the Army Pensions Vote, are normally reallocated to address spending pressures elsewhere in Vote 36 (Defence). However in 2021, similar to many other Public Service organisations, the impact of Covid-19 and supply chain difficulties limited the extent to which my Department was able to re-direct these savings.
The Vote 36 (Defence) Gross Budget Allocation and amounts unspent for the years 2018-2021 are as outlined in the table below:
|
Year |
Vote 36 (Defence) Gross Allocation €m |
Vote 36 (Defence) Gross Outturn €m |
Amount Reallocated for Vote 35 Supplementary Estimate (€m) |
Unspent Allocation €m |
|
2018 |
€707.3 |
€701.4 |
€3.5 |
€2.4 |
|
2019 |
€758.1 |
€756.1 |
€1.9 |
€0.1 |
|
2020 |
€781.1 |
€781.0 |
n/a |
€0.1 |
|
2021* |
€809.8 |
€786.9 |
n/a |
€22.9 |
*Provisional Outturn