Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The documents referred to in the question are documents that are prepared and published by the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. The abridged Estimates for public services, AEV, are published as part of the expenditure report budget documents and detail provided for the Votes is limited to programme level. They vary and are hence called "abridged". They are published at budget time.

The Revised Estimates Volume for public services, REV, provides considerably more detail at subhead level, as well as performance metrics. The REV forms the basis for parliamentary scrutiny of allocated expenditure.

Deputy Ó Broin writes to the Department every year asking for that REV-level breakdown immediately following the budget. While my officials endeavour to be as open and transparent about indicative allocations emanating from the high-level programme allocation, I am very clear that these are not finalised until the publication of the REV in December.

Budget 2024 was presented and published on Tuesday, 10 October this year. The 2024 Estimates shown as Part III of the expenditure report reflected the expenditure adjustments announced by the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform on 10 October 2023 and detailed elsewhere in the expenditure report.

As regards the commitment to publish the REV for 2024, that is a matter for the Minister of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, of course, but it is routinely published and includes the individual spending programmes. If any changes to the REV arise, that is only following the process of further Revised Estimates which includes a Government decision, referral to the select committee on housing before referral back to the Dáil. That further Revised Estimate, fREV as it is known, is then published.

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