Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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71. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the Supplementary Estimates provided for in 2015; the amount of money that was spent by the end of 2015; the implications for 2016 budgets of any underspend; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2438/16]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Consistent with the requirements of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), the pace of economic growth and greater than forecasted tax receipts allowed the Government to allocate - on a prudent basis - additional amounts to expenditure in priority areas in 2015.

The Revised Estimates Volume ("REV") 2016 published on 17 December 2015 sets out gross voted expenditure for 2015 of €54,915 million and net voted expenditure of €43,134 million. These amounts include total Supplementary Estimates of €1,409.6 million set out in Table 1. The impact of these Supplementary Estimates in gross terms was just under €1.7 billion.

REV 2016 included an estimated gross voted expenditure forecast outturn for 2015 of €54,766 million. Information published with the end December Exchequer returns indicates a gross voted expenditure outturn for 2015 of €54,670 million.  This is indicative of the end-year position in advance of the publication of the 2015 audited outturn figures.

The aggregate gross voted expenditure estimate for 2016 in the REV of €55,299 million represents an increase of just over €380m over the ceiling of €54,915 million for 2015, inclusive of the Supplementary Estimates. This is consistent with the year on year increase between the overall expenditure ceilings for 2015 and 2016 set out in the Expenditure Report 2016 published on Budget day. As Ireland is moving to the preventive arm of the Stability and Growth Pact in 2016, it is important that Departments manage expenditure for 2016 within the allocations set out in REV 2016.