Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. Again I acknowledge that the change in the subheads has created a challenge for comparing on a like-for-like basis. To clarify, the €100,000 she refers to under the administrative budget for non-pay, under VII, relates to the internal corporate office within the Department. It pertains to consultancy costs associated with the running of the Department, rather than policy issues. It would be health and safety, for example, for staff within the Department and so on. It would not be the normal consultancy work to which she refers. On that question, then, under subhead A4, consultancy and other services, we have presented a comparison. The 2023 Estimate was over €2 million but the actual provisional outturn is €856,000, a very significant underspend there for consultancy in 2023. The Revised Estimate we are asking members to consider today for 2024 is €2.155 million. As for the plan regarding its use and how that funding will be deployed, a lot of it will be in the banking division for consultancy covering issues such as SME finance and mortgage arrears. We have reconstituted the long-term mortgage arrears group to look at all the different issues that arise in the context of high interest rates and the impact they may have on people. On anti-money laundering, as the Deputy knows there is a AML package at EU level, as well as consultancy on issues such as personal debt. There will be an allocation of €450,000 in the shareholding and financial advisory division, which deals with the State's relationship with the banks in which we continue to hold shares. Issues arise from time to time and need to be the subject of expert advice.