Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 696: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount of his Department's budgetary allocation for 2004; the amount of this allocation which was returned to the Department of Finance at year's end; the Vote head from which such returned allocations were derived; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23986/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The 2004 Revised Estimates provision for the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Vote 25, was €2,309,788,000, net, made up of €685,346,000, current, and €1,624,442,000, capital. The final outturn was €2,228,701,000, net, made up of €682,058,000 current and €1,546,643,000, capital, giving rise to a surplus of €81.087 million comprising €3.288 million, current, and €77.799 million, capital. The following table sets out expenditure activity on a programme basis, giving detail of 2004 provisions and outturns and, resulting excesses andsavings.

Beginning in 2004, the capital envelope agreement between my Department and the Department of Finance sets out aggregate capital provisions for my Department's programmes over rolling five-year periods, with the most recent envelope covering the period 2005 to 2009 valued at some €9 billion. As part of the agreement the Department is allowed to operate a carryover facility of up to 10% of the current year's voted capital allocation, which was €162 million in the case of 2004. My Department availed of a carryover of €75.601 million, which is being applied to our capital programmes in 2005 and at 4.65% of total net 2004 capital provision was well below the 10% carryover allowed.

Taking account of capital carryover, the net surplus surrendered to the Exchequer was €5.486 million, representing only 0.24% of the 2004 provision. It should be noted that this amount was the aggregate net amount arising from savings and excesses across the full range of my Department's current and capital expenditure as well as fluctuations in appropriations-in-aid and so it is not practicable to relate it to individual subheads.

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 697: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount his Department has spent to date in 2005 on the implementation of the provisions of the Official Languages Act 2003; his estimate of the amount which his Department will spend on the implementation of the Official Languages Act 2003 for the full year in 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24020/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has been included in the first tranche of public bodies required to produce an Irish language scheme under the Official Languages Act 2003. Our scheme, which has recently been approved by the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, will take effect from August 2005.

Specific costs incurred by my Department in the implementation of the Act to date amount to €11,277 in respect of the publication of notices under section 13 of the Act. My Department's Estimates for 2005 do not separately identify a cost for implementing the provisions of the Act. Any additional costs arising with translation of material, publication of documents, or advertising, etc. as set out in the Department's scheme will be met from within the overall administrative budget of the Department or the budget for individual projects and programmes.

Prior to the enactment of the legislation, my Department was already making available Irish versions of publications such as the Department's statement of strategy and annual report, and providing replies to correspondence in the language in which it was received. Accordingly, the Act in these areas involves no extra costs for my Department.