Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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1366. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the reason the gross expenditure for his Department was 35.5% behind schedule at the end of March 2018, including 71.1% behind profile on the capital expenditure and 27.5% on current expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16053/18]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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1367. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the capital and current expenditure to date in 2018 against profile by subhead in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16054/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1366 and 1367 together.

The Revised Estimates in respect of the Department of Rural and Community Development sets out gross capital expenditure of €87.5m and current expenditure of €144m in respect of my Department for 2018. The capital expenditure is supplemented by some €7.7m in respect of capital carried forward from 2017.

The figures referred to in the Deputy’s question are drawn from the Fiscal Monitor, which reflects the estimate of monthly expenditure.

I have set out in the attached table details of actual expenditure to end of March against profile (current (-23%) and capital (-65%)) as requested. These differ slightly from the figures referenced by the Deputy as they take account of payments made at the end of March which were not foreseen at the time of the compilation of the Fiscal Monitor figures.

Current expenditure was behind profile at end March largely due to timing differences in the payment of funding in respect of the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) (Subhead B4) which is distributed across Ireland’s 51 geographic SICAP Lots. Significant payments amounting to €9.5 million which were originally scheduled to be made in March were paid out in early April and will be reflected in the end-April expenditure report. 

A significant portion of capital underspend against profile at the end of March relates to the Town and Village Scheme (Subhead A8), which funds capital projects administered by the Local Authorities.  I am conscious of the particular demands which were placed on Local Authorities in the early months of this year in responding to severe weather emergencies and these may have been a contributory factor to the underspend. However, my Department is in regular contact with Local Authorities and other stakeholders with a view to accelerating activity on all capital schemes, including the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and I expect to see an increase in capital spending as the year progresses.

For example, while the LEADER programme also shows an underspend against profile to the end of March, the delivery of this programme on the ground is continuing to grow rapidly.  At the end of March 2018, 852 projects with a value of over €24.3 million had been approved for funding by the LEADER Local Action Groups.  More than 200 further projects were going through the approvals process.  Payments will be made to all of these projects as they become operational and submit payment claims.  

Finally, it should be noted that all figures provided are provisional, pending audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. The Department is also in the process of building a financial system which will be incorporated into the Shared Services for Payroll and there may be some minor revisions to figures as that process is completed.