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

Depending on the winters. I have seen crossovers between capital and current expenditure, which is not meant to happen. Even where there is no crossover within a Department, what it considers capital might be considered current by another Department. This issue must be examined.

From an overall public expenditure and policy point of view, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform should produce a Schedule or other document, backed up by way of regulation, that sets out for each Department what is meant by capital and current expenditure in order that Departments might not move from one to the other. It is easy to see how, depending on need and where the budget is flush, something could be considered capital expenditure today and current expenditure next month. We want to know where we are going. The definition should be set out by way of regulation so that, as opposed to just ourselves, everyone in the country and those who are carrying out international comparisons can know what is capital and what is current. Perhaps it was not intended, but the impression is that last year's stimulus package was new capital investment for infrastructural projects, schools and roads. Lo and behold, some of it was current expenditure. For example, I do not know whether the retrofitting of local authority housing is considered capital or current expenditure. Perhaps the finance officers of various local authorities have different opinions on the issue. It is important that there be uniformity so that everyone can know how to compare.

I picked the date of 15 September because it was one month before the annual budget or thereabouts, providing time to examine the ministerial expenditure ceilings and the amounts of capital and current expenditure. As with the appropriation accounts at the end of the year, if the ceilings must be changed, so be it, but it should be done on the floor of the House by way of regulation and legislation.

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