Dáil debates
Tuesday, 7 March 2017
Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions
Departmental Expenditure
4:25 pm
Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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20. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the progress made to date in 2017 in delivering on her department’s programmes and ensuring a full spend of the allocated resources; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11790/17]
Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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At the end of last year the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs had a capital carryover of €30 million - in other words an underspend. In addition the Department had paid €28 million to local authorities for work that was not done and had not even commenced. That means that at the end of last year the Department had underspent by €40 million in terms of effect on the ground. The gross expenditure at the end of February on the Exchequer return showed that the Department had only spent €8 million in capital. What will the Minister do to spend the money to the benefit of the people on the ground rather than hoarding it away for some unknown reason? The Minister is just not spending the money.
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department has a very broad agenda which includes responsibility for the conservation, preservation, protection, development and presentation of Ireland’s heritage and culture; responsibility for promoting the Irish language; supporting the Gaeltacht and island communities; and facilitating the economic and sustainable development of Ireland's regions and rural communities.
A gross provision of €368.422 million is available to my Department across five programme areas in 2017, comprising current funding of €249.637 million and capital funding of €118.785 million. In addition, a further €13.548 million in capital funding was carried over from the 2016 provision.
Details of provisional expenditure in respect of my Department and all Departments are published at Vote level by the Department of Finance on a monthly basis. Provisional current and capital expenditure figures in respect of my Department at Vote level as of 31 January 2017 are due to be published shortly and these figures indicate that expenditure for January 2017 is on profile.
Preliminary figures for the period to the end of February 2017 indicate that gross total expenditure incurred by my Department amounted to €46.9 million - this expenditure represents 95% of profile. However, these figures are merely preliminary and are subject to an internal verification and monitoring process within my Department, as is usual, prior to their return to the Department of Public and Expenditure and Reform. Adjustments may fall to be made as part of this process and all figures are also subject to audit by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General in due course.
All expenditure within my Department's Vote is and will continue to be carefully monitored to ensure the best and most efficient use of available financial resources.
4:35 pm
Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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When an answer starts saying what a Department does and all I and the public knows, I know somebody is trying to obfuscate the answer. I have had to resort to putting in freedom of information, FOI, requests to get basic financial information available to the Department made available to me as an Opposition Deputy. I will continue to put in FOI requests to get this information until the Department starts providing it in replies to parliamentary questions.
To give the Minister her own information back, according to the Exchequer returns at the end of February, published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, €8 million was spent on capital in the gross voted expenditure against a profile of €10 million, which was unnaturally low. This meant the Department was 16% behind where it should have been.
I asked the Department in another parliamentary question what had happened with the carryover. I was told there was not even an order made to allow for any expenditure on that after two months. As well as that, I asked about the local authority spend for work not done and I was told nothing had happened on that either. Will the Minister start coming up with the figures and answering questions with them? I cannot understand why her Department is so shy about the figures, except for the fact that it is not spending the moneys.
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy referred to figures of €8 million out of €10 million. I want to be clear as to why all the capital moneys were not spent in 2016.
Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I referred to the Exchequer returns for January and February 2017. These were published at the end of February this year. For spend in 2017, the profile was €10 million, actual spend €8 million and shortfall, 16.7%. Those are figures for this year.
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Of course at this time of year, bills for projects may not come in until at a later stage. We keep all spending under review and it is monitored closely. To be fair, my officials gave the Deputy a detailed briefing on expenditure in the Department when he was there.
We need to be clear that funding is going out and many projects are being funded. Sometimes, the bills for capital expenditure do not come in as soon as we would like because there are delays. Last year, there were some delays with capital projects. There were certain one-off Decade of Centenary projects where there were unavoidable delays, including the national monument at Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street and the major redevelopment works at the National Archives. That is why money had to be carried over because it was not actually spent.
Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Not only was some €30 million not spent last year, but it has not been spent this year. I have also been told by the Department that it has no record of any of the huge amount of moneys given to local authorities for work not done, some of it sanctioned by the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ring, in December. As well as that, will the Minister confirm there has been zero spend on the 2014 to 2020 Leader programme, except for administration? The reality is there is €40 million available for Leader. Even allowing €8 million for administration, €32 million is still there for capital spend. It is patently obvious that in the beginning of March this year the Department will not spend half this capital allowance on Leader. Is the Minister making alternative plans already? I will be asking the Minister of State, Deputy Kyne, on the moneys which will not be spent in his section of the Department. Is the Minister making alternative plans to spend the Leader moneys that will not be spent or will she once again short-change the people dependent on her Department at the end of the year by having another carryover into 2018?
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I can reassure the Deputy that there was no short-changing of anybody. The moneys not spent on Leader last year were vired into other programmes.
Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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It went to county councils.
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Those moneys went out to rural Ireland and were made available in line with the sanctioned receipt from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on the basis of funding agreements signed with the local authorities. The moneys are with the local authorities which are spending it.
I am conscious of the need to ensure that all funds allocated to local authorities under these schemes are fully accounted for. In this context, my Department is working closely with local authorities to ensure worthwhile projects are allocated funding. It is in line with the public spending code. I want to ensure funding is spent properly and in accordance with the projects’ proposals.