Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

This is a new subhead, started only this year in support of research and environmental products. The expenditure was funded previously under subhead A3. Savings were identified because expenditure this year is less than projected. Sometimes when there is a new initiative, the universities or industry and market people take time to ramp up their ability to spend the funds. There was no lack of desire to see the funding spent. It was an Estimate of €16.8 million, so the reduction is a smaller part of the overall expenditure. We will spend €14.5 million. We did not have control but there was under-expenditure in the other areas or in this area.