Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 132: To ask the Minister for Transport if his Department or any of its agencies has paid in advance for works or services that will not be commenced before the end of the 2007 financial year; the reasons for doing this; the amount of the payments; the recipients and the nature of the works or services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34738/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The following is the information requested by the Deputy. €780.45 (inc VAT) annual hosting fee for the Transport 21 website was paid in July 07. This includes payment in advance for this service up to July 08. This is normal practice with a website hosting company.

While my Department operates a system of making monthly grant payments in advance to the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) from Subheads C2 and C3 based on the Agency's estimate of its funding requirements for the month in question, I understand from the RPA that it has not paid in advance for works or services that will not be commenced before the end of the 2007 financial year.

Since the launch of Transport 21, the RPA has not had recourse to new borrowings and the system of advancing monthly grant payments to the Agency is therefore necessary to ensure that the RPA is in a position to meet its financial obligations for works and services as they fall due.

In relation to agencies, the issue of payments in advance for works or services, is an operational matter for each individual agency and not a matter for my Department.