Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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116. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent of savings likely to be required in Departments in the remainder of 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40731/17]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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119. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he has satisfied himself that expenditure and reform goals continue to be achieved throughout all Departments and subordinate agencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40734/17]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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121. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he has satisfied himself regarding the adequacy of budgetary provisions affecting each Department; his views on whether the original allocation will remain sufficient throughout 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40736/17]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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124. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he has satisfied himself that expenditure overruns by Departments barring exceptional circumstances are likely to be curtailed in full; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40739/17]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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125. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the degree to which he remains satisfied that all Departments and bodies under their aegis remain within the required expenditure and reform guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40740/17]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 116, 119, 121, 124 and 125 together.

Effective management of expenditure has been a key contributor towards putting Ireland’s public finances back on a sustainable footing. On an ongoing basis, managing the delivery of public services within budgetary allocations is a key responsibility of each Minister and their Departments. Important measures are in place to ensure that budgetary targets continue to be met. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is in regular contact with all Departments and Offices to ensure that expenditure is being managed within the overall fiscal parameters and there is regular reporting to Government on expenditure levels. The drawdown of funds from the Exchequer is monitored against published expenditure profiles and this information is published each month in the Exchequer Statement.

As set out in the most recent Exchequer Statement, total gross voted expenditure at end-August 2017 was €36,575 million, which is €206 million below profile, but an increase of 4.7% in year-on-year terms. Gross current voted expenditure of €34,417 million was €168 million below profile at end-August, but up 3.8% year-on-year. Gross voted capital expenditure of €2,158 million at end-August was €38 million below profile, but up 20.8% year-on-year.

In relation to the adequacy of budgetary provisions for 2017, the Deputy will be aware that 2017 was third consecutive year in which we were able to increase public spending. As set out in the Mid-Year Expenditure Report, total gross voted expenditure for 2017 is estimated at €58.1 billion. This is an increase of €1.9 billion compared to 2016. Along with funding for demographics and other expenditure pre-commitments, this increase allowed for additional allocations for staffing in the health, justice and education sectors, increases in weekly Social Welfare rates and progression of the Action Plan for Housing. As I stated previously, all expenditure is subject to careful monitoring to ensure that it is being managed effectively and delivers public services on a value-for-money basis.

Public Service Reform continues to be a key feature of my Department's policy. Considerable progress has been made since the first Public Service Reform Plan was published in 2011. Five progress reports on Public Service Reform have been published to date. The most recent progress report is the Final Progress Report on the Public Service Reform Plan 2014-16 and was published in July 2017 alongside an OECD Assessment of the Plan and two case studies on reform (on INTREO and the Office of Government Procurement). These publications coincided with the launch of a Public Consultation on the next phase of reform. All documents are available onwww.reformplan.per.gov.ie

We are now moving from a stage of reform to one of development and continuous improvement which will cover the period to 2020. My Department is currently developing a new Public Service Development and Innovation Framework, Our Public Service 2020. This will set out a series of actions to be delivered out to 2020 which will both build on the achievements of the last six years and respond to new challenges.  Our Public Service 2020 aims to deliver better outcomes for the public and to build more responsive and agile public service organisations. It identifies a series of actions grouped under three pillars: Delivering for our Public; Innovating for our Future; and Developing our People and Organisations. This next phase of public service reform is due to be launched before the end of the year.