Denis Naughten
Ceist:33 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has to introduce multi-annual budgeting for the voluntary youth sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25999/98]
Priority Questions. - Multi-annual Budgeting.
An overall multi-annual budgetary framework and arrangements for Government Departments is currently being developed. It will not be possible to clarify the multi-annual budgetary situation for the voluntary youth sector until the overall multi-annual framework has been finalised by Government. The Deputy will appreciate that I am not in a position to pre-empt the statement of my colleague, the Minister for Finance, concerning these matters.
Will multi-annual budgeting be part of that framework? Will the local youth service be informed of the funding it will be allocated over a number of years? Under the present system allocations are made in late May. Will the Minister agree that system restricts the development of the youth service in many communities? Will he also agree that the 1.7 per cent increase this year, which is below the rate of inflation, has restricted development and resulted in cutbacks in many of the services?
I agree it would be more satisfactory if the money was available earlier and we are trying to change that position. I note from the figures available to me that the increase provided by Deputy Naughten's party during its last year in Government was a grand total of 1 per cent. I dispute the 1.7 per cent increase he mentioned because it will be augmented by a Supplementary Estimate that will be brought before the House shortly. In actual terms, that will mean the increase will be approximately 4.5 per cent to 5 per cent.
From my understanding of the system being developed, the answer to the question about whether any service will be informed annually about its level of funding for the next number of years is in the negative. I am informed that detailed estimates and budgetary accounts will be produced for each year. In addition, as and from this year, the Department of Finance, in consultation with other Departments, will produce two other sets of figures — the technical terminology for which is financial envelopes — the accounts for the following year and the year after that. In the case of this year, they would be for 2000 and 2001. That will not be done on the basis of the amount allocated to each subhead, but on the basis of the amount allocated to the Department as a whole. Breaking that figure into subheads will require detailed consultation with, and possibly the sanction of, the Department of Finance, but that has not yet been decided. While that means not any programme in the Department will have a cast iron guarantee of further funding over the following two years, it will give a greater degree of assurance that such funding will be continued. The present position is that if any programme is to be discarded, discontinued or substantially altered it would require a referral to the steering committee which decides on such matters. It consists of a representative of the Department, whose programme is being altered, and a representative of the Department of Finance. The information as to which programmes are being considered in that regard is readily available.
I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I am disappointed he is not considering the introduction of multi-annual budgeting. Will he consider it in relation to the Youth Work (Amendment) Bill? What is the reason for the delay in publishing that Bill, given that the previous Bill was passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas? The Taoiseach promised it would be published before last Christmas.
Deputy Naughten did not understand what I said about multi-annual budgeting. It is being introduced under the strategic management initiative in the way I mentioned. It may evolve at some future date to a point where the detailed subheads will be provided for annually, but the system being developed at present is the one that was initiated by the Deputy's party when in Government. We are continuing that system.
The heads of the Youth Work (Amendment) Bill will come before the Cabinet next week, it will then be drafted and I expect it will be published early in the new year.
Why has it taken so long for that Bill to go before the Cabinet? The Taoiseach gave a commitment in the House that it would be published prior to last Christmas, but it still has not been published. The by-election caused some delay, but it should have been published before the summer recess.
There were a number of by-elections. The Taoiseach gave that commitment to the House in good faith based on the information available to him at the time. There was no attempt by him to mislead the House. This comes down to a question of priorities. One reason for the delay is that the previous legislation was very unsatisfactory and I had to make many amendments to it. I did that because of my transparent nature and after wide consultation with the relevant youth organisations. The new Bill will be different from its predecessor.
I ask the Minister of State to conclude his remarks because the time allocated for this priority question is exhausted.
I regret the delay in introducing this legislation, but it will be well worth waiting for.