Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Question 457: To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will publish the details of his Department's submission and all correspondence to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for consideration as part of the comprehensive spending review. [23466/11]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, in the current economic circumstances, the Government is faced with a number of difficult decisions in lead up to the forthcoming Budget. To assist in this regard, the Government has embarked on a detailed Comprehensive Review of Expenditure (CRE). The objectives of the CRE are to provide the Government with a comprehensive set of decision options: to meet the overall fiscal consolidation objectives, both as regards spending and numbers reduction targets; to re-align spending with the Programme for Government priorities; and; in this context, to consider new ways of achieving Government objectives in the context of public sector reform.

The Deputy will appreciate that the Departmental CRE submissions form a central part of the overall pre-budget deliberations of the Government and, as such, their release cannot be considered in advance of Government decisions on the forthcoming Budget.