Written answers

Thursday, 12 February 2015

Department of Public Expenditure and Reform

Departmental Expenditure

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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94. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if payments out of the Local Government Fund are included in the expenditure ceiling published in the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2015 - 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6450/15]

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The multi-annual current expenditure ceilings for the Environment, Community and Local Government Vote published in the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2015-2017 are ceilings on gross voted expenditure within which the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government  must deliver its services.  The ceilings for the Environment, Community and Local Government Vote  do not include payments out of the Local Government Fund.

As indicated in my Department's  Comprehensive Expenditure Review Report 2015-2017, the breakdown of the overall expenditure ceilings was informed by the comprehensive review process which allowed the Government to consider and set expenditure priorities for the period 2015 to 2017. The final determination of the 2016 and 2017 ceilings will be made by Government in line with the fiscal rules under the Stability and Growth Pact  with specific reference to the Expenditure Benchmark.   

The Local Government Fund was established by the Local Government Act 1998 which provided for the payment of Motor Tax into the Local Government Fund. All payments into and from the fund are provided for in the Local Government Act 1998, as amended. In addition to motor tax  in 2015, Section 157 of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012 provides for  the other main payment into the fund, that is  Local Property Tax (LPT). Payments from the fund in 2015 include an LPT allocation to individual local authorities (replacing the general purpose payment to them), Roads and Public Transport Payments via the Transport, Tourism and Sport Vote, a Payment to the Exchequer, a Subvention to Irish Water, Local Authority Rates Payments as a consequence of the exemption of Irish Water from rates and payment for other miscellaneous schemes.  

Details of the Estimate of Income and Expenditure of the Local Government Fund are published each year in the Revised Estimates Volume  for Public Services.

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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95. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide details of all funds and accounts, from which payments will be made, that are not included in the expenditure ceilings published in the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2015-2017; if he will provide the annual receipts and payments from these funds; if he will provide a breakdown of these amounts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6463/15]

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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As the Deputy is aware, the Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2015-2017 (CER) relates to all spending by Central Government which is voted upon annually by the Dáil, plus the expenditure of the Social Insurance Fund and the National Training Fund. This corresponds to the Ministerial Expenditure Ceilings as defined in the Ministers and Secretaries Amendment Act 2013. In 2015, this amounts to over €53 billion.

Non-voted expenditure of the Central Fund is not covered by the Ministerial Expenditure Ceilings.  The Department of Finance publishes detailed annual accounts of the Central Fund each year, known as the Finance Accounts.  These Accounts are prepared under Section 4 of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993 and contain detailed analysis and classification of receipts and issues of the Central Fund as well as details of the National Debt. They must be laid before Dáil Éireann and they are examined by the PAC. In addition, the Department of Finance publishes information in relation to Central Fund activity on a monthly basis in the Exchequer Statements.

Detailed information in relation to other funds and accounts, as sought by the Deputy, are published by the respective responsible Departments, Offices, and State Bodies and not by my Department. However, the Revised Estimates Volume for Public Services, published annually by my Department, includes summary information on the income and expenditures of the Social Insurance Fund, National Training Funds and the Local Government Fund, all of which are extra-budgetary funds. Summary information is also included for a range of non-commercial state agencies.

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