Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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92. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if Departments retain capital funding in the event that they underspend capital expenditure at the end of the year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43920/18]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Planned capital expenditure can be delayed for a variety of reasons. Because of this, Departments are permitted to carry over unspent capital up to a maximum of 10 per cent of their Voted capital allocation from the current year into the next financial year. Statutory provision for capital carryover by way of "deferred surrender" to the Exchequer was made in Section 91 of the Finance Act 2004.

The Act requires that capital carryover sums be specified by Vote in the Appropriation Act for the year from which moneys are carried.

To allow spending of the capital carryover amounts, I am required as Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform to make an Order no later than 31 March of that year determining the capital carryover amounts by subhead which will be available for expenditure on those subheads consistent with the amounts by Vote included in the Appropriation Act. Dáil approval of the draft Ministerial Order is required before I can make the Order. Once the order is made, the carryover amounts become a first charge against the subheads concerned. If the carryover sums are not spent in the next financial year, they must be surrendered to the Central Fund.