In the context of the forthcoming Budget, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (D/PER) has asked my Department to identify savings which will feed into the expenditure decisions by Government for the Estimates 2014 and the setting of future Ministerial ceilings. The identification of savings options should ensure that a sufficient range of proposals are made by all Departments to help the Government make well-informed choices about spending priorities and allocations across Departments.
The Expenditure Report 2013, which was published by the D/PER last December, provides for additional new expenditure reduction measures of €440 million to be achieved in the Department of Social Protection budget in 2014. Government will be making decisions on the future ceilings as part of the forthcoming budgetary deliberations.