Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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192. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if Roinn na Gaeltachta had any unspent funding in 2015 and 2016; if so, the headings under which that funding came; if the funding was returned to the Exchequer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6235/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Total Programme expenditure, excluding administration subheads, for the Irish Language, Gaeltacht and Island programme area in 2015 amounted to 100% of the 2015 allocation as per the Revised Estimates 2015. Provisional figures indicate that the total programme expenditure, excluding administration subheads, for the Irish Language, Gaeltacht and Island programme area in 2016 amounted to 106% of the 2016 allocation as per the Revised Estimates 2016 as additional funding was made available on foot of savings elsewhere in the Department's Vote.

In accordance with Public Financial Procedures, the surplus of the amount provided in a Department's Vote, over the net amount applied in that Vote is liable for surrender to the Exchequer, with the exception of unspent appropriations for capital supply services up to a maximum of 10% of the capital envelope of the Vote, which may be carried over for spending on capital priority programmes in the following year.

The surplus of the amount provided in my Department's Vote over the net amount applied amounted to €8,895,773 in 2015. Of this, an amount of €6,158,000 was carried forward to 2016 by way of deferred surrender leaving a surplus to surrender to the Exchequer of €2,737,773. Full details of these figures and all associated expenditure are available in the 2015 Annual Appropriation Account for my Department which is published on the website of the Comptroller and Auditor General at: www.audgen.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=/documents/annualreports/2015/AppAcc/En/Vote 33.pdf

Work is continuing on finalising the 2016 expenditure figures for my Department and adjustments continue to be made in relation to individual financial transactions to ensure that expenditure is accounted for in accordance with Government accounting policies, principles and procedures. However, I can advise that provisional figures indicate that the surplus of the amount provided in my Department's Vote over the net amount applied will be in excess of €16 million in 2016. An amount of €13,548,000 has been carried forward to 2017 by means of deferred surrender leaving a net surplus to surrender of over €3 million. When account is taken of expenditure which could not be incurred under Programme E of my Department's Vote because of the non-receipt of corresponding Appropriations-in-Aid and surplus Appropriations-in-Aid in other programme areas which must be surrendered to the Exchequer, the remaining balance will amount to some €425,000 in administration budget efficiencies and some €600,000 in programme savings. The programme savings largely relate to capital savings on commemoration projects that did not proceed as promptly as anticipated. As I have already indicated, these figures are provisional and are subject to finalisation by my Department and audit by the Comptroller and Auditor in General.

Details of the actual outturn for my Department at subhead level for 2016, including details of any surplus, together with explanations for any variances between allocations and expenditure, will be published in the Annual Appropriation Account for 2016 and be made available on the website of the Comptroller and Auditor General later this year, as was the case for previous years.