Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

When we see the Appropriation Bill come before the House every year, we know Christmas is at hand. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and wish him a very happy Christmas and all the best for the new year. I wish a happy Christmas to the Acting Chairman, the Members and the staff, who have done great work over what has been a very long year since the beginning of January.

The Appropriation Bill makes provision in law for the carrying over of unspent capital into the first days of January for the payment of social welfare and pensions so recipients will not be left short when they go to the post office or elsewhere to collect their money. The maximum that the Appropriation Bill will allow to be paid out in these circumstances is €200 million.Over the years, we have seen many local authorities, health services and various Departments get a certain amount of funding that they do not spend over the year. In some cases, many of those Departments and local authorities rush to spend the funding before the end of the year. Does this Bill mean that there is no need for that, that funding can be held off until the following year and that the works can be carried on into 2017, as in this case, rather than spending the money very quickly and, in some cases, making rash and poor decisions? I would much prefer to see moneys like that carried over so that we get the best value for money in the following year. In these circumstances, does the Appropriation Bill allow for funding of this nature to be carried over? I see that funding carried over this year is €77 million. In respect of this figure, the Minister of State said that some capital projects have been carried over but there are capital and current projects. Could the Minister of State explain what can and cannot be carried over? Other than that, I welcome the Bill and will not hold up its passage through the House in any way.