Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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Question 282: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount of funding committed to in his Department for capital projects; if he will provide details of the projects and funding committed; the funds that have been drawn down for the projects; when the balance will be drawn down; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26634/12]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Capital funding allocated to my Department's Vote is primarily expended through various agencies under the remit of my Department, including IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, Shannon Development, Inter Trade Ireland, the National Standards Authority of Ireland and the 35 City and County Enterprise Boards. Capital funding of €10 million has also been allocated for expenditure by my Department in 2012 in respect of the Micro Finance Loan Fund.

The funding provided to the agencies is used to operate programmes that provide a range of grants, supports and financial facilities to clients. Capital funding also covers the maintenance and development of the agencies' buildings and upgrading of equipment. The funding provided in respect of the Microfinance Loan Fund will provide loans to start-up, newly established, or growing microenterprises.

The Gross Exchequer Capital Allocation for 2012 for the Department and these agencies is set out in the Table overleaf. Expenditure across all Subhead lines is closely monitored by my Department; at the end of April €102 million had been expended from the Capital budget and I anticipate that the 2012 allocation will be spent in full at year end, bearing unforeseen timing issues that may arise with regard to particular projects.

The operation of programmes funded through capital expenditure in my Department's Vote is a day-to-day matter for the agencies concerned. Details of the programmes and projects, which involve many hundreds of clients, are available in the agencies' Annual Reports and on their websites.

Capital Allocation 2012