Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 291: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the breakdown, according to programme or agency, of the way in which the savings estimated for his Department in 2010 will be achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47893/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Expenditure provisions for 2010 for the Department and Agencies are set out in the Estimates Volume published by the Minister for Finance as part of Budget 2010. Spending provisions for 2010 have been settled in the context of overall provision for public services and reflect the need to reduce public spending. My Department will maximize outputs from provisions through prioritisation, increased efficiency and lower procurement costs generally.

In the case of the capital programme for Water Services Investment to reduction has been applied and projects delivering key environmental and economic objectives will continue to be prioritised. In the case of social housing provision while the capital provision is reduced, significant restructuring of delivery mechanisms is being implemented involving more extensive use of leasing of units to ensure that overall housing output is maintained at a high level. In other instances where savings are effected it will be necessary to re-profile works over a longer period with the most urgent works being prioritised.