Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 73: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which public expenditure reduction targets identified in the context of the EU-IMF bailout have been achieved and are on target to date under the various headings identified, those which have exceeded expectations and those below target; the extent of capital and current expenditure involved; if it is possible to indicate the areas most likely to yield the most potential for contribution to economic recovery with least negative impact on growth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28500/11]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Under the terms of the EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support, an overall current expenditure reduction of €2,090 million was targeted in 2011, with an additional €1,800 million from capital. This reduction was to be made up of social protection expenditure reductions, a reduction in public service employment numbers, a reduction on existing public service pensions on a progressive basis and other programme savings. These savings were introduced in Budget 2011, and underpin the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2011, approved by the Dáil in July of this year.

Overall current and capital expenditure to the end of September is running 2.2% or €749 million behind profile in net expenditure terms, with a breakdown as set out in the attached table which was published on 4 October. As regards the contribution to economic recovery, this is a key consideration for the Government in assessing the outcome of the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure and the Capital Review, and will have a major bearing upon the budgetary decisions to be made by the Government in the period up to the December budget.