Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 November 2023
44. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will list the occasions over the past twelve months in which Government Departments have requested additional funds from his Department; the purposes of these requests; which ones were granted; and which were refused. [52077/23]
View answerThe annual Estimates process follows certain procedures for allocating funding at a Vote level. Following publication of the Summer Economic Statement (SES) in July, the Secretary General of my Department writes to all other Departments requesting proposals for the Budget within the parameters set out in the SES. These requests are then assessed as part of our preparations for the Budget. Available resources are allocated as part of the Budget with the detailed spending plans then subsequently set out in the Revised Estimates (REV).
Managing expenditure within the voted allocations included in the REV is a key responsibility of every Department and Minister. Monitoring of spending against profile and of progress on programmes and projects by each accounting officer is well established within each Department. My Department is in regular contact with all Departments regarding actual and projected spending, including areas where there may be cost overruns and offsetting savings that might be available for reallocation.
Where any savings identified are not sufficient to cover the cost of additional demands within a Vote, a Supplementary Estimate may be required to provide the additional funds. Over the course of this year a number of Supplementary Estimates and Further Revised Estimates (FREV) have been presented to the Dáil.
The first was an allocation by a FREV to the Department of Rural and Community Development to establish a Fund in recognition of the contribution of communities in welcoming arrivals from Ukraine. Further FREVs were afforded in the Housing, Local Government and Heritage Group to establish Tailte Éireann, and the Electoral Commission.
In September, the Dáil agreed funding for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in the amount of €1.09 billion by way of Supplementary Estimate for services to respond to Ukrainian arrivals.
Last week, a Supplementary Estimate of €0.939 billion was agreed by the Dáil for the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications for the energy Credits announced in the Budget and further Supplementary Estimates were presented for additional funds totalling €3.489 billion over 19 Votes, including €1.034 billion for the Department of Health, and also €0.678 billion for the Department of Social Protection to make provision for the various costs of living measures announced in the Budget.
