Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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70. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the capital spend by his Department to date in 2018, including the capital carry over from 2017, by subhead; the provision under each subhead, including the capital carry over from 2017 provided for in the Revised Estimates Volume for 2018; the details of the significant overspends or underspends under each subhead; the action to be taken to deal with them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38643/18]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I am absolutely fascinated listening to the Minister talk about all this spending. However, tá difríocht mhór idir na fíricí agus an méid atá á rá ag an Aire. I have a question about spending in the Minister's Department. What prompted me to ask the question? The Exchequer returns at the end of August show that only €16 million, that is, 18% of the €88 million of capital allocated to this Department had been spent by the end of August. That leaves the Minister with 82% to spend between now and the end of the year. I am looking for details of the spend, the breakdown, etc. Will the Minister leave out the waffle at the beginning of his reply, all that general bumph Ministers offer to waste the two minutes, and just cut to the chase? Will he give me the figures for which I have asked?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I will give the Deputy so many figures that he will not be able to take them all in.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I remind the Minister that he has two minutes.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I will just give Deputy Ó Cuív the table. It might be easier.

The Revised Estimates for 2018 in respect of the Department of Rural and Community Development set out an allocation of €87.5 million for gross capital expenditure, supplemented by €7.7 million carried forward from 2017. I have provided an update of capital expenditure to date across the various capital subheads, including carryover, in a detailed table for the Deputy.

In overall terms, total capital spend, including carryover at the end of August - I want the Deputy to listen to this - was at 70% of expected profile. I will read that again. Total capital spend at the end of August, including carryover, was 70% of the expected profile. The community programme spending was 250% of profile at the end of August, reflecting earlier than anticipated spending on the community enhancement programme.  Spending on the rural programme was at 60% of profile at the end of August. At this point in September, the library development and archive service subhead is ahead of profile.  I am expecting an acceleration in spend towards end of year. Some 52% of our capital spend is profiled for the last three months. It is helpful to note that this acceleration is already evident. For example, the spend on capital in August was the highest in any month of the year at €6.2 million.

Deputies should note that the figures for spending are not an accurate reflection of the work carried out on the ground by those receiving support. In many cases, the projects in question are nearing completion, or are indeed completed. The requests for reimbursement, however, have not yet been received by my Department. For example, I announced the local improvement scheme, LIS, and allocations in February, early enough to give local authorities time to implement those projects. Details of the costs incurred are now being received my Department and we will meet those as quickly as possible. Leader programme drawdown is slower than I would like. As the Deputy will be aware, considerable work has been undertaken in preparing, assessing and approving new Leader projects. There is now a very clear pipeline of projects approved by local action groups, totalling almost €40 million. This will translate into increased spending over the remainder of the programme.

I have instructed my officials to continue to closely monitor expenditure patterns and to stay in close contact with local authorities on planned spend. Should it be the case that for whatever reason expenditure is not being drawn down as expected, I will look at other options for reallocation of that spend to meet other priorities. For example, the Deputy will be aware that I have already been able to announce €6 million of support to enhance digital services and facilities in public libraries.  Moreover, last week I announced €8 million of additional investments under the community enhancement programme.

My focus remains on fully using the capital funding allocated by the Government to provide for the betterment of those living and working in rural communities throughout Ireland.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I would like to thank the Minister for confirming what I have said. The profile is an extraordinarily low €34 million for the first eight months. It works out at about 40%. Basically, the Department admitted fairly early that it was not going to spend the money. The reality is that the Minister has not done so. Leaving aside the money that should have been spent last year and has been carried over into this year - that should not have occurred - the fact of the matter is the Minister has only spent €16 million out of the €88 million in new money he got for this year.

Let us take just one subhead. What is the allocation for the Leader programme this year and what is the spend to date? I am asking about allocation versus spend. It is a simple question. We will save time. It will only take the Minster two seconds to answer that one. The answer is in the Minister's table, by the way.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy knows this. He has been around this House for long enough. I reject what he says about me spending the money. I have spent the money. It is the Leader companies, the local authorities and the people who have actually got the money that have not spent it. I am putting pressure on the local authorities on a daily and weekly basis. The Deputy and I both know that much work has been done. He should look at the LIS and the town and village renewal scheme. Much of that work has now been completed. Members of every local authority stand up and complain every day about not getting funding from the Government, yet the local authorities are not actually spending. I will look at the LIS again. I have a few other plans if the local authorities have not spent the money that has been allocated to them to by the end of the year.

The Deputy knows it is very difficult for me. I make the allocation. If we take the Leader companies, we were hoping to see a big improvement in the Leader programme this year. We have seen a big improvement in the number of projects that have been approved. When people get approval they then have to get the work done. They have to come in with receipts and the Department has to check that the money is spent. It is not the case that I have not worked with that programme or that we have not made the changes. It is not the case that we have not made it easier. It annoys me when I see money spent on administration and not on the programme itself.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Is there a contagious disease in Government called blaming local authorities, Leader companies and everybody except oneself? Ministers do not accept responsibility for their own failures. If the Minister sanctioned the money in time and said that if it was not spent, it would be taken back, he would have seen it spent. That is how it is done. I asked the Minister a specific question. I will ask it once again because I am a very patient man. Will he tell me the allocation for Leader this year, that is, the total gross allocation and the amount spent to date, broken down between administration and projects paid for from that allocation? It is a simple question. Can he give a simple answer? It will only take two seconds to answer me.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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To date, 24% of the overall project allocations have been approved, totalling €40 million.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Can the Minister just give me the figures? I asked about spend. I am not interested in-----

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The total to date is €40 million. Some 24% of overall project allocation has been approved. When the value of the project applications which we have received and provisionally approved is considered, this figure increases to 28% of overall allocation, €46 million. Some 1,300 projects have been approved with a further 324 in the pipeline. I have allocated the money in time. They have got the Leader funding. They have received it over the last three years.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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In Standing Orders there is provision for the Leas-Cheann Comhairle to intervene when a Minister does not even attempt to answer a simple question that is asked.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My recollection of the question is that it was on the amount allocated to LEADER this year-----

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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And the amount spent to date, no more and no less.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I have no control over the-----

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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There is a-----

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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-----Minister's response. I ask the Minister to provide the two figures.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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They are in the table in front of him. The Minister said he had the table there.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The two figures.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I have the two figures. The total of allocations is €164,503,189.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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No, just LEADER.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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There are 304 projects to a value of €21.111 million.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Is that what has been spent?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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No.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I just asked for the cash allocation for LEADER.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister is endeavouring to answer.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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With regard to what has been spent-----

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I can give it out myself tomorrow when I get it.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I have given the information to the Deputy but the problem is he has come in here having asked a specific question about LEADER, for which I have all the details for him-----

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister said he has a table with the breakdown.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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There is a tabular statement to be circulated.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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It was in the initial answer. If the Minister looks at the first question, the answer was in the question.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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There is a tabular statement to be circulated.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has it. Will he not read out the two figures from it?

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I could give them to the Deputy but it is not my job.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Exactly. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle has the answer in front of him but he cannot give it. I just want it on the record of the House. I can publish it myself tomorrow, no bother. I will do that tomorrow. It is all right.