Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 64: To ask the Minister for Finance if he expects public spending to remain on target for the remainder of 2006 and 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24859/06]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 155: To ask the Minister for Finance the extent to which he expects Government expenditure to increase throughout the various Government Departments in the next two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25307/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 and 155 together.

On the basis of the end May figures (end June are being prepared and will be published on the 4th of July) the outturn for Voted expenditure in 2006 is expected to be broadly in line with the allocations set out in the Revised Estimates for Public Services published on the 23rd of February 2006, except for the reimbursement of long-stay charges in former Health Board funded institutions. Following the recent enactment of the Health (Repayment Scheme) Act, these are now expected to amount to €340 million for 2006 rather than the €400 million provisionally provided for in the Revised Estimates with the balance of €660 million likely to be required in 2007 and 2008.

The projections for 2007 and 2008 published as part of my 2006 Budget provide for total gross voted current expenditure of €46.7 billion in 2007 and €49 billion in 2008, inclusive of €1.5 billion and €2.8 billion in unallocated amounts respectively. These projections would represent year-on-year increases of 6.3% and 5% respectively.

A capital envelope covering the period 2006-2010 was also published on Budget Day and provides for total capital investment (Exchequer and PPP) within the envelope of €7.8 billion for 2007 and €8.4 billion for 2008 — year-on-year increases of 12.3% and 7.5% respectively.

These projections will be updated when revised Stability Programme economic projections are published in the autumn and in the context of the 2007 Estimates and Budget.