Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will move on. We are dealing with what the Minister terms the comprehensive expenditure report for 2015 to 2017, which covers approximately €150 billion expenditure over the three-year period. If I ask questions to which we do not get answers, or for which we do not have time to have answered today, I am happy to come back next week or whenever the information comes. I may ask a question on details which the Minister does not have today.

I do not accept the credibility of the document or of the Minister's opening statement. Some of what it is in the Minister's opening statement is not accurate or true. It is a flawed document, in line with the flawed document published by the Minister on budget day, which was 14 October. On that day the Minister stated gross current expenditure for 2015 would be just over €50 billion and this figure represented an increase of €429 million over the 2014 figure. The Minister repeated this verbatim today. He also stated this increase in targeted expenditure allows for expenditure in critical areas, such as social protection, health, justice and housing. The figure we had in October had not taken into account the €1.2 billion in Supplementary Estimates. When the Minister takes into account that the 2014 expenditure figures to which he referred on budget day were supplemented by €1.2 billion, it is clear the Revised Estimates for 2015, which are fundamental for this document, show a reduction in Government expenditure in 2015 compared to 2014 of approximately €800 million.

The Minister stated that this would allow for an increase of €429 million in 2015. That is simply not true. It ignores the additional €1.2 billion that was approved for 2014 by the Dáil during Christmas week. Combined with that figure, the 2015 figure is €800 million less than the 2014 outturn. To come to this meeting four months after originally making the flawed statement in the Chamber just to repeat it questions the credibility of the information before me. I understand that the process is a factor, but we must examine the figures.

I question the figures before us because on page 33 of the comprehensive review document, one of its most important tables, No. 3, outlines the ministerial Vote group gross current expenditure ceilings, which are the maximum amounts spendable allowable by law. They are not the Estimates, which might not reach the ceilings. The Estimate for 2015 is €49.612 million, leaving €465 million in the ceiling. If we happen to have anything remotely like the 2014 Supplementary Estimates in 2015, we will exceed those ceilings. What is the point of them? Expenditure will not be lower than them this year. There is less than €500 million in headroom, there was €1.2 billion in Supplementary Estimates in 2014 and there was €1.1 billion in Supplementary Estimates in 2012. If even half of those amounts are required this year, the Government will be in breach of its ceilings.

I would also test the credibility of this document by asking the Minister about the outturn of the previous comprehensive expenditure review. The figures for 2012, 2013 and 2014 were €51.8 billion, €50.6 billion and €48.7 billion, respectively. I do not expect the Minister to have the information with him. He is concentrating on something. What were the outturns in those years and were those ceilings changed? I believe they were.