Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in respect of the October Exchequer returns; the reason the capital spending for his Department was €4m below profile for this period; his plans to ensure that the full capital spending is implemented before the end of the year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53826/12]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, on 31 October 2012, my Department’s gross capital expenditure totalled €26.4m. This represented 84% of the published profile. Capital spending was slightly behind profile, primarily due to certain capital projects progressing at a slightly slower rate than was anticipated. However, I expect, as with last year, that close to my Department's full provision will be utilised and no significant surpluses or deficits are envisaged. That said, the potential for a limited capital carryover into 2013 remains under consideration.

I am very committed to ensuring that the maximum value is derived from my Department' budget in terms of maintaining, promoting and protecting Ireland’s heritage and culture, developing cultural tourism, advancing the use of the Irish language, and supporting the sustainable development of the islands. This is reflected in the fact that in 2011, excluding Departmental administration, my Department expended approximately 99.76% of its available programme funding. I will, of course continue to closely monitor expenditure trends across all my Department’s subheads in the lead up to year-end to ensure the greatest possible use of the resources available.