Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is a twofold element in that regard. The public spending code is one of the mechanisms the Government will have at its disposal in relation to the amount of moneys being spent. The ongoing monitoring within the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform of the individual Votes from this House to each of the Departments gives it an indication as to outturn not only annually but across the year as well. On the Deputy's question of Government being able to foresee anything of the nature of the pandemic it is hoped we are in the process of coming through, the response is "No".

On the capital element of the Deputy's question, in response to an earlier question on public contracts, particularly our built contracts, the Minister, Deputy McGrath, made the point that in the context of the roll-out of the national development plan and identification of the major projects under that plan, each Department and State agency is being required by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, on foot of reviews carried out by it, to ensure that outturn is proportionate to budget. As the Deputy rightly stated, there have been a number of incidents in the not-too-distant past that were not satisfactory, to put it mildly. Managing outturn is a challenge and the Government is taking it very seriously.

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