Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Táim thar a bheith buíoch don Aire as an bhfreagra sin. It is good to see there is tight management and that the Minister is confident that the moneys will be spent and spent well. I note that the Department has suffered a huge decrease in funding in recent years. I note for the Gaeltacht and the islands there has been a 64% reduction in the spend. From my rudimentary knowledge of these types of budgets, the Minister notes that current expenditure accounts for just under ¤185 million of the total which is 98% of the profile. I note that at the end of October 98% of the current expenditure is spent. Is that an overspend in the sense that there are still two months to go with only 2% of the budget profile remaining? Perhaps the Minister would clarify that issue, or it may be an accounting issue.