It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 159, 161 and 162 together.
In accordance with Government policy in regard to control and management of expenditure, I submit expenditure management reports to Government every second month outlining expenditure incurred in the year to date and projected end-year position for both my Department's Vote 38 and the social insurance fund, SIF. My Department submits reports each month to the Department of Finance comprising income and expenditure tables and qualitative assessments as to likely end-year outturns, for both Vote 38 and the SIF. The amounts drawn from the Exchequer in respect of Vote 38 are also specified. In addition, my Department carries out a detailed review on a quarterly basis of administrative expenditure with a view to monitoring any deviations and initiating any necessary corrective action.
A finance committee, comprising representatives of senior management, assesses the expenditure position based on the monthly expenditure and other reports and any concerns arising from this are brought to my attention. The estimates and expenditure information requested by the Deputy in regard to each subhead of my Department's Vote and each benefit heading in the SIF appendix is set out in the attached tabular statements. The statements show the position as at the end of February. Full expenditure returns for the month of March are not yet available.
The expenditure variances at the end of February are within the margin of error inherent in the monthly budgeting, or profiling, process. They are attributed to a combination of factors, including the timing of encashment of orders and drafts at post offices, which cannot be predicted accurately. In this regard, payments at post offices account for about 60% of the Department's programme expenditure. Additionally, timing differences as between profile assumptions and actual payments arise from time to time, particularly in regard to administration expenditure.
My Department is not, at this stage, forecasting any end year variances on Vote 38 or SIF expenditure. It is too early in the year to confidently predict outturns on what are very sizeable allocations driven almost entirely by demand led schemes.