Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann take note of the Statement of Estimates of moneys required in respect of ongoing expenditure for the period beginning on 1 January 2016 and ending on 31 December 2016, prepared and published by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in accordance with section 13 of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003, as amended by section 8 of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Act 2006 and section 9 of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Act 2009, which was laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas on 2 July 2015.

Under section 5 of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Acts 2003-2013, the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission is funded on the basis of a three-year statutory cycle. Its current funding allocation of €324 million covers the period from 2013 to 2015. New legislation will be introduced at the end of 2015 to provide the commission with its funding for the next three-year cycle, 2016 to 2018. The commission is required under section 13 of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Acts to prepare and publish an annual statement of Estimates. The statement of Estimates before the Dáil for noting today is in respect of the estimated expenditure covering the period beginning on 1 January 2016 and ending on 31 December 2016.

It was normal in the past for this Estimates process to be undertaken in October of each year, but due to the fact that since 2013 the budget has been brought forward from December to October under the new European semester, it is now necessary for the commission to have the statement of Estimates noted by the Dáil before the House goes into recess in July. This is because, under the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Acts, the statement of Estimates of the commission must be furnished by the Secretary General to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform not later than 30 days before the presentation by the Minister to Dáil Éireann of the Estimates of the receipts and expenditure of that year.

Deputies will be aware that the Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014, which is currently before the House, will allow for changes in this regard. It will delete the 30-day provision to allow time for the Houses of the Oireachtas Service to submit Estimates much closer to the budget, having had the opportunity to finalise figures in the September-October period, which will enable it to have a much more accurate assessment of expenditure trends before it has to submit a scheme of expenditure to the House for noting.

The Estimate amount required by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission for 2016 is €130.99 million. This is €18.7 million, or 16.6%, higher than the 2015 Estimate. The main reason for the 16% increase is the need to cover costs arising from the Dáil and Seanad elections which must take place by early next year. Election costs of €14.3 million have been included in the Estimate. When the election costs are removed, the underlying increase over the 2015 Estimate is €4.3 million, or 4%. This can be attributed to, among other things, an increase in the ICT project budget to account for a new parliamentary questions system, with which Deputies will be familiar, a new website, and new technologies in the Chamber, as well as an increased allocation for legal services and increased security measures. I commend this motion to the House.

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