Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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18. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if her Department will expend the full allocation made available to her Department in the Estimates for 2016; if not, the likely shortfall in expenditure in 2016 and the reasons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37560/16]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Looking at the expenditure report of the Department month on month, it is clear there is a huge underspend in the Department. Will the Minister end up in a situation whereby money is returned to the Exchequer? What can be done to avoid that when there is so much work to be done, both in the arts, heritage, Gaeltacht, regional and rural development, and the islands? How did this happen?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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While it is too early at this point to accurately forecast the full end of year outturn, I can advise that all current funding is expected to be expended in full and no capital savings beyond those which can be carried forward by deferred surrender into 2017 are envisaged at present.

Public financial procedures provide that a maximum of 10% of the capital envelope of a Vote may be carried over by way of deferred surrender to the following year for spending in that year on priority capital programmes. For my Department, this means that a maximum of just over €13.5 million in capital funds can be carried over into 2017, subject to the approval of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

There have been delays in the drawdown of funding across a number of programme areas within my Department's Vote. These relate in the main to the rural and regional programme, which transferred to my Department in June last, and the arts programme in respect of certain once-off decade of centenaries projects.

With regard to the rural and regional programme, the main delay in drawdown is in regard to Leader. This is because the new Leader programme has only recently commenced.

In terms of the arts programme, there have been some delays in drawdown of funding regarding the permanent reminders component of the Ireland 2016 centenary programme. There were unavoidable delays in regard to the national monument at 14-17 Moore Street and the major redevelopment at the National Archives. While some progress has been made on these projects, the full expected drawdown of funds will not now occur this year.

All expenditure within my Department's Vote will continue to be carefully monitored between now and year-end to ensure the best use of all available financial resources.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Could the Minister confirm that the allocation for the Leader programme for this year was €40 million and that, at the end of October, the expenditure was €8,333,000, meaning that €32 million, or three quarters of the fund, had been left unspent? Can she explain how she will get the total carry-over to €13 million or less, which is the figure I thought she mentioned, when she has an underspend of €32 million on that one sub-head? My understanding is that there will be no capital expenditure on Leader, other than on administration, which would amount to approximately €10 million, bringing the figure up to €30 million. Can the Minister explain to me, out of the €30 million, and that is not allowing for any other underspending of capital, where that money will be spent between now and the end of the year because it certainly will not be spent on Leader?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Regarding the Leader funding, there was €40 million in the budget. I have just reallocated under €35 million. That was made up of €22 million from the Leader rural sub-economy programme; that is, €22 million out of the €40 million. The balance of almost €13 million came from the arts programme, which mainly related to allocations originally made in respect of the decade of centenaries programme. I reallocated the €22 million in Leader funding to other programmes and projects that benefit rural Ireland, including town and village regeneration, which got an extra €6 million. The rural economic development zones, REDZ, programme got an extra €5 million. The national countryside recreation strategy got an extra €4 million and CLÁR got an extra €3 million. Waterways Ireland got an extra €3 million and the rural broadband scheme got an extra €1 million.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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To give the Minister one example, she said she allocated extra funding under town and village renewal but after ten months, nothing of the €4 million initially allocated had been spent. Can the Minister explain how she will get all of these builds done in the last month? She spoke about the CLÁR programme. I have not seen any announcement by the Minister's Department on the approval of specific projects under the CLÁR programme even though she has allocated funds. The Minister might outline when we can expect announcements on specific projects under CLÁR and how they will be completed by the end of the year? Finally, does the Minister not think it is very bad practice to have a carry-over of, say, €13 million? I have no doubt she negotiated the Estimate on the basis that she needed more money and I have no doubt also that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, DPER, said to her that she could not spend what it gave her this year. Does she not accept that is totally unacceptable in terms of the good running of the Department?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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All of the budgets are being kept under review. As the Deputy will appreciate, this happens. It is normal in any budgetary year. I am keeping spending under close review and I am keeping in touch with DPER. There are a number of weeks to go before the end of the year and spending continues. On the programme side, as I said, I expect to spend all of my current expenditure apart from the capital amount a Minister is allowed to carry over at the end of the year.

On the CLAR programme, we hope to be in a position to announce that very shortly.