Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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352. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the estimated expenditure of his Department in 2015, in tabular form; the budget for expenditure agreed at the start of the year for 2015; the extra expenditure or savings in this budget during the year to date; when and under what process this expenditure and these savings were approved; and his Department's budget for expenditure in 2016. [37265/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The total gross provision to the Vote of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation as provided for in the 2015 Revised Estimates Volume is €810.16 million. This includes €20 million in capital carryover from 2014.

The €810.16 million is broken down between Capital funding of €509 million and Current expenditure of €301.16 million. The capital provision is by way of grants for enterprise development and research and innovation supports via the enterprise agencies, primarily though Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices. The current monies are used to support the day-to-day running costs of the Department and its agencies covering Pay, Pensions and Non-Pay expenditure.

In addition to the direct Exchequer provision of €810.16 million referred to above, the enterprise agencies also have sanction from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to generate and expend Own Resource Income totalling €115 million in support of the enterprise, regulation and innovation agendas this year. The indicative gross Current expenditure on the Department’s Vote at the end of October is €235 million representing 5% behind the initially profiled level. The Department will have a current underspend by year end though it is difficult to be precisely accurate given the nature of current expenditure and with two months activity still remaining in the year.

Full capital expenditure is envisaged in 2015. In addition a further €50 million in capital monies has recently been approved by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to be provided to the Department for use this year. This will necessitate a Supplementary Estimate in the weeks ahead. The additional capital provision is to be used to further enterprise, research and innovation activities. It will also allow for earlier payment on matured liabilities relating to the Programme for Research in Third-level Institutions (PRTLI).

The 2016 provision for the Department as set out in the 2016 Expenditure Report published on Budget Day 13 October, 2015 totals €792 million. This is broken down between €495 million in Capital and €297 million in Current allocations. The aforementioned earlier payment of matured PRTLI liabilities will ensure that the funding available to the Department’s enterprise agencies will be maintained in 2016. Indeed I would point out that some additional monies are being provided for next year. For example IDA Ireland is being provided with an additional €14 million to enable it to continue expansion of its Regional Development Advanced Facilities programme.

In addition it is anticipated that Own Resource Income totalling €115 million will be sanctioned by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform through the 2016 Revised Estimates Volume for use by the enterprise agencies next year.