Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

Vote 2 provides for expenditure by the Department of the Taoiseach in support of the Taoiseach and the Cabinet. Gross expenditure in 2016 was €23.3 million, with pay and non-pay administration costs totalling €15 million and accounting for almost 65% of the total spend. The Vote records expenditure of €3.6 million on various statutory inquiries. These include: the Fennelly commission of investigation into the recording by An Garda Síochána of telephone conversations; the Cregan commission of investigation into the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation; and the Moriarty tribunal of inquiry into payments to Mr. Haughey and Mr. Lowry.

The National Economic and Social Council, NESC, is the only agency under the aegis of the Department of the Taoiseach. The council received €1.8 million in grants in 2016. For the Vote as a whole, there was a net underspend of just over €6.7 million which was liable for surrender. This underspend represented 23% of the Estimate provision for 2016. Explanations for the variances are given in note six to the account.