Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 219: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will explain the apparent conflict between his statement in Dáil Éireann on 14 October 2008 that in relation to savings of €440 million in 2008 those savings have been achieved and his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 234 of 21 October 2008 where he stated that specific information on the achievement of these savings in 2008 will have to await the end of the year when provisional outturn figures will first become available. [37374/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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There is no conflict in these replies. As I indicated in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 234 of 21 October, 2008 on the basis of aggregate forecast outturns published in the 2009 Budget Volume, and taking into account specific offsetting expenditure pressures in some areas, I anticipate that the underlying savings targets for 2008 announced last July will be realised in full. This is quite consistent with my Financial Statement to Dáil Éireann on 14 October 2008. I also indicated in my reply that specific subhead-by-subhead outturn data reflecting the actual achievement of these savings will not be available until after the end of the year. Provisional outturn data will be published as normal in the 2009 Revised Estimates Volume.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 220: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the €260 million payroll savings which he referred to in his Dáil Éireann statement of 14 October 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37375/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The €1 billion target for efficiency and other savings in 2009, as announced by the Government on 8 July 2008, included savings of €190 million in civil and public service pay. In my Budget Statement, I stated that pay savings of €260 million would in fact be achieved. This is demonstrated in Table A, which shows, in the first column of figures, the 2008 Revised Estimates Volume pay baseline as adjusted for the cost of pay increases due under the Towards 2016 Partnership Agreement in 2009, and in the second column, the actual 2009 allocation for each Ministerial Vote Group as set out in the 2009 Budget Estimates, exclusive of certain pay pressures. The third column shows the payroll saving of €262.265 million on this basis.

The specific 2009 pay pressures, which were also outlined in my Budget Statement, consist of some €224 million for the full year cost of additional teachers and Special Needs Assistants taken on this year and some €170 million in the Health area made up of €140 million for the new consultants contract and €30 million that is required for Industrial Relations settlements. Adding back these pay pressures gives the total Pay allocations for each Ministerial Vote Group consistent with the 2009 Budget Estimates.