Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 209: To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the amount of unspent money returned by him to the Department of Finance each year since 2007; the Departmental budget for each year since 2007; the projects for which this money was originally earmarked in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16502/11]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that my Department was established as the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht on 2 June 2011.

In relation to the former Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport, the surplus amounts surrendered to the Department of Finance and the departmental budgets for each year 2007 to 2010 are outlined in the table below. A detailed breakdown of the figures for 2007 to 2009 is published in the Comptroller and Auditor General's Audit of Appropriation Accounts for each year.

In relation to the projects for which the surrendered funds were originally earmarked, the capital grant schemes in the Department are demand-led and depend on projects progressing to a satisfactory level to allow payment of funding. Accordingly, the funds allocated are not earmarked for payment to a specific project in a given year and depend on the progress of the project.

In relation to other capital projects, the Deputy will be aware that, in accordance with Section 91 of the Finance Act 2004, capital monies unspent in a particular year can be carried forward to be spent in the following year, subject to Department of Finance approval and certain limits. This deferred expenditure was applied to some unspent capital monies in 2007, 2008 and 2010. The amounts of deferred expenditure are shown in the table and are also outlined in detail in the Appropriation Accounts and the Revised Estimates Volume for my Department's Vote for each year.

1Includes deferred surrender of capital expenditure from previous year, where relevant.

2Estimated pending completion of C&AG annual Audit of Appropriation Accounts.