Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The Tánaiste is attending the ECOFIN meting in Brussels today.

Departments are allowed to carry over to the following year unspent capital up to a maximum of 10% of the voted capital. Statutory provision for capital carryover by way of deferred surrender to the Exchequer was made by section 91 of the Finance Act 2004, to which this relates. The €126 million is a small proportion of the Revised Estimate Volume. Provision for capital is being carried forward from 2007 to 2008. A provision for this amount by Vote was made in the Schedule to the Appropriation Act at Christmas. The draft ministerial order for the capital takeover is fully consistent with the Appropriation Act. The finance committee will have a chance to discuss it and it will then come back to the House for approval.

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