Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 154: To ask the Minister for Finance the extent to which his Department has monitored public spending throughout all Government Departments in each of the past two years; the expected outturn for 2006 in respect of such expenditure; if this is expected to be in accordance with projections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25306/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Since 2003, expenditure profiles for all Departmental Vote Groups for the year ahead are published in January and my Department monitors expenditure against these profiles. Each Department and Office reports projected net current and net capital expenditure figures on an issues basis immediately prior to the end of each month. These figures are also included in the Exchequer Statement which is published on the second working day of the following month. I report to Government on a monthly basis on the emerging trends in the public finances.

In addition, Ministers responsible for the four Departments with the largest current spending allocations — Social and Family Affairs; Health and Children; Education and Science; and, Justice, Equality and Law Reform report bi-monthly to Government.

Since the beginning of this year the 5 large capital spending Departments — Environment, Heritage and Local Government; Transport; Education and Science; Health and Children and Enterprise, Trade and Employment — also report progress to Government on a bi-monthly basis on their capital spending.

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. The balance (€660 million) of the estimated €1 billion for this purpose is likely to be required in 2007 and 2008.