Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 150: To ask the Minister for Transport the breakdown of the programme changes that will be made in order to achieve the savings in his Department outlined in budget 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47898/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The current allocation for my Department in the recent Budget announced an underlying expenditure cut of €60 million. This is made up of · Pay and administrative savings of €2.9 million which will be achieved through the Incentivised Career Breaks, Shorter Working Year and Incentivised Early Retirement schemes together with cutbacks in travel and incidental expenses across all activities within the Department. · A reduction of €0.65 million in the administrative expenditure of the National Roads Authority (NRA) and of €13.8 million on regional and local road maintenance. The NRA reductions will be achieved by natural wastage and efficiency savings. The regional and local roads reductions will be offset by the combined benefits of falls in material costs, in particular the lower cost of bitumen, and general reductions in construction related costs. · A reduction of €3.5 million in expenditure on the National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF). This saving is being achieved through efficiencies and cost reductions and will not impact on service delivery in 2010. · A reduction of €27 million in public service provision payments to CIE, which will be achieved through cost reduction and efficiency measures and service adjustments to reflect reduced patterns of demand. · Elimination of €11.1 million in unitary payments on capital expenditure arising from the early repayment of CIE borrowing for capital investment purposes. · A reduction of €1 million in Railway Safety Commission (RSC) administrative expenditure. This will not have any adverse effect on the Commission's regulatory functions as they will be funded by a levy under the Railway Safety Act 2005. · A reduction of €0.35 million in the administrative expenditure of the Railway Procurement Agency which will be met from efficiencies within the organisation.

My Department's capital allocation for 2010 is €2.1 billion which is €298 million lower than the revised Estimates allocation for 2009. The following are the principal changes: · The national roads provision is down €287 million. · The regional and local roads provision is reduced by €21.5 million. · The provision for public transport is only €3 million lower than 2009. · The allocation for carbon reduction measures has been increased by 150% to €25 million. · The regional airports provision is down €3 million and the allocation for the maritime sector is up almost €5 million.