Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will not take the full ten minutes allocated to me as most of the nitty-gritty of this issue will be discussed at committees. It is unfortunate that we still have not received the details of projects, if any, such as flood relief schemes that will be delayed. We do not know if any of them will be put back. Some €3 million is coming from the Office of Public Works. When the Minister of State appeared before the finance committee last week, he stated it would come from the funding for flood relief schemes. It is worth noting that when he was questioned about the figure of €3 million and whether he thought there were savings he could make in the Department, he was non-committal. However, he did say the figure of €3 million was just given to him by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and that there had been no consultation on whether the amount could be re-profiled for particular projects. I presume it was the same with other Departments, that the Minister drew up a list of moneys which were needed to meet the overspend of €100 million on the national children's hospital project. Will he confirm whether his Department decided on the figures and just presented them to the various Ministers or if there was consultation with them on the figures that were presented to them? Certainly, my understanding having listened to the Minister of State, Deputy Boxer Moran, is that the figure was just presented to him and that he was told to cut his cloth accordingly. Perhaps the Minister might confirm if that was the case in all Departments.

I am inclined to vote against sending the Further Revised Estimates back to the committees, unless we receive a commitment tonight that the details will be made available when we discuss the Further Revised Estimates at the committees. Like every other Deputy, I have tried to get details of the projects that will be affected, but I have been unsuccessful to date. I am sure they are available to the Minister; I presume he knows what projects will be delayed. In the case of the Office of Public Works and flood relief schemes, has the Minister of State, Deputy Boxer Moran, given the Minister a list of the projects that will be delayed? Who knows the details? Unless I receive a commitment from the Minister that the committees will receive these details, I am reluctant to send the Further Revised Estimates back to them. The last thing I want to do is send back the Further Revised Estimates to the committees only for our spokespersons not to receive that information. Obviously, there is a majority on the committees to pass the Further Revised Estimates and send them back to the Dáil for approval. If the Minister can give such a commitment, I will be satisfied with it. Without it, however, I am inclined not to send back the Further Revised Estimates to the committees.

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