Written answers

Wednesday, 27 March 2019

Department of Defence

Departmental Budgets

Photo of Jack ChambersJack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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98. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the original budget allocation from Vote 36 for pay and allowances for serving members of the Defence Forces in each of the years 2014 to 2018; the actual spend in each of those years; if there was an underspend and savings in budget for pay and allowances in the same period; if savings were returned to the Exchequer; if they were allocated to other budget lines; and if so, the budget line to which the savings were allocated in the same period. [14511/19]

Photo of Paul KehoePaul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The Government ensures that Vote 36 - Defence is fully funded to provide for the pay and allowances of the target strength of 9,500 Permanent Defence Force (PDF) personnel, as set out in the White Paper on Defence.

The table below shows the budget allocation for pay and allowances for serving members of the Permanent Defence Force for the years 2014-2018, the outturn for the same period and the savings, which arose mainly due to the actual PDF strength falling below the 9,500 target.

PDF – Pay and Allowances

(Subheads A.3 – PDF Pay; A.4 – PDF Allowances; A.6 – Chaplains)

Vote 36BudgetOutturnSavings
2014€459.0m€431.1m€27.9m
2015€454.0m€425.3m€28.7m
2016€453.0m€421.9m€31.1m
2017€457.0m€437.0m€20.0m
2018€469.1m€439.7m€29.4m

With regard to the return of savings to the exchequer, any savings, or part of savings, arising within the Vote may, in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, be used to address spending pressures elsewhere in the Vote or Vote Group (Vote 36 Defence and Vote 35 Army Pensions). Savings arising on the Defence Vote in the years in question have largely been utilised to meet commitments elsewhere in the Vote Group. Specific budget line details of the re-allocations are not available as they are considered globally, across the Vote Group.

In addition, any surplus Appropriations-in-Aid must also be returned to the Exchequer, as required under Public Financial Procedures.

The table below shows the Gross savings on Vote 36 - Defence, the surplus Appropriations-in-Aid (AinAs) and the Net Surrender to the Exchequer for the years 2014-2018.

Vote 36Gross SavingsSurplus A-in-AsNet Surrender to the Exchequer
2014€4.9m€8.7m€13.6m
2015€6.8m€6.9m€13.7m
2016€11.1m€15.5m€26.6m
2017€11.3m€10.1m€21.4m
2018€5.9m€11.1m€17.0m

The Gross Savings and the Net Surrender in the Table include amounts used to meet the shortfalls in the Army Pensions Vote.

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