Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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16. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which public expenditure trends remain in line with original budgetary projections; if corrective measures are required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21674/18]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Managing the delivery of public services within allocations is a key responsibility of each Minister and Department. There are important measures in place to ensure that our budgetary targets are being met and my Department is in regular contact with all other Departments and offices to ensure that expenditure is being managed within the overall fiscal parameters. Expenditure profiles are published for each month, and the drawdown of funds from the Exchequer is monitored throughout the year and reported on against profile on a monthly basis in the Fiscal Monitor published by the Department of Finance.

As set out in the most recent Fiscal Monitor, total gross Voted Expenditure at end-April 2018 was €19,216 million. This is €74 million, or 0.4%, below profile and an increase of €1,367 million, or 7.7%, on the same period in 2017.

Of the total €19,216 million, gross voted current expenditure accounts for €18,084 million, which is €192 million, or 1.1% ahead of profile, and an increase of €1,177 million, or 7.0% on the same period in 2017. This level of year-on-year increase is partly due to timing issues relating to Child Benefit and Garda Pension payments, profiled for May, which were brought forward to April. As outlined in the April Fiscal Monitor, this arose as the Trans-European Automated Real-time Gross settlement Express Transfer (TARGET) system was closed on the first of May. These timing issues will reverse in May.

Gross voted capital expenditure accounts for €1,132 million, which is €266 million, or 19% below profile and an increase of €190 million, or 20.1% on April 2017. Capital expenditure in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government Vote Group is running €158m or 43% behind profile. This is largely due to a delay in drawing down payments to Irish Water. It is anticipated that these drawdowns will be completed in the coming months bringing expenditure back in line with profile.

As at the end of April, 13 of 17 Vote Groups are either at or on profile. My Department will continue to engage with all other Departments and Offices throughout the year in relation to expenditure management.