Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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128. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if current expenditure is within profile for the year to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56446/22]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Total gross voted expenditure to end-October 2022 amounted to €66,531 million which is €80 million (0.1%) below profile overall. Gross voted current expenditure of €61,055 million is €1,262 million (2.1%) ahead of profile. Gross voted capital expenditure of €5,476 million is €1,342 million (-19.7%) below profile.

There has been a number of developments in 2022 which have an impact on the level of current expenditure. These include the extension of the Building Momentum pay agreement, the response to the cost of living crisis, humanitarian response to the war in Ukraine and the ongoing recovery from the Covid pandemic.

The position of the gross voted current expenditure in some of the major spending Departments is as follows;

- The Department Social Protection is ahead of profile by €517 million (2.7%). The position is mostly reflective of the payment of some cost of living measures in October which were announced as part of Budget 2023 but not included in the 2022 profile.

- Gross current expenditure in the Department of Health is €581 million ahead of profile (3.3%). This is largely due to higher Covid-19 related expenditure than anticipated due to the Omicron wave and the pandemic recognition payment.

- Gross current expenditure in the Department of Education is €168 million (2.4%) ahead of profile, mostly due to increased costs associated with substitutions and payments of Covid-19 supports to schools for Term 3, as well as increased escort payments for school transport.

- Gross current expenditure in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is €84 million (3.6%) ahead on 2021 and €115 million (4.6%) below profile. This underspend versus profile is due to timing issues related to grant payments.

- Gross current expenditure in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is €345 million (20.0%) ahead of profile mostly reflecting expenditure associated with accommodation and other costs related to the provision of humanitarian support to people arriving from Ukraine.

The October Fiscal Monitor provides further information on the current spending position by Department and is available on the Department of Finance website gov.ie - Fiscal Monitor - October 2022 (www.gov.ie).