Written answers
Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
Departmental Budgets
Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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253. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the variance from profile to date of each Ministerial Vote Group, in tabular form. [24504/23]
Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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At the end of April, the most recent period for which figures are available, total gross voted expenditure amounted to €26.9 billion.
This level of spending shows the significant increase in public investment over the same period last year, with expenditure over €1½ billion higher than end-April last year. This additional expenditure demonstrates investment, set out in Budget 2023, across a range of vital public services and supports for our citizens. It includes provision for extra teachers, more health supports, enhanced social protection payments and more affordable childcare. Increased capital spending reflects the ramp up in the delivery of vital infrastructure and investment under our National Development Plan.
Compared to the amount that had been expected to be spent by Departments and Agencies, end-April spending was broadly on profile at €0.1 billion or 0.5% below. The variances by Ministerial Vote Group are set out in the table below.
| MINISTERIAL VOTE GROUP | Variance | Variance |
|---|---|---|
| €m | % | |
| Agriculture, Food and The Marine | 1 | 0.2% |
| Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth | 174 | 14.8% |
| Defence | -26 | -6.9% |
| Education | 125 | 3.7% |
| Enterprise, Trade and Employment | -133 | -34.0% |
| Environment, Climate and Communications | -38 | -13.8% |
| Finance | -4 | -2.2% |
| Foreign Affairs | -11 | -2.9% |
| Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science | -86 | -7.6% |
| Health | 37 | 0.5% |
| Housing, Local Government and Heritage | -152 | -12.8% |
| Justice | -34 | -3.2% |
| Public Expenditure and Reform | -46 | -9.1% |
| Rural And Community Development | -13 | -11.1% |
| Social Protection | 230 | 3.0% |
| Taoiseach's | -7 | -8.1% |
| Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media | -27 | -8.8% |
| Transport | -115 | -18.0% |
| Total Gross Cumulative Voted Spending | -125 | -0.5% |
Variances in actual against projected spend each month can arise due to a range of issues and may return to planned profile across the course of the year. Of the largest variances at end April - the underspend in Enterprise, Trade and Employment was primarily due to lower take up during the first four months of the year than had been anticipated on the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS). Transport underspending against profile at end April was due to lower than anticipated capital expenditure, with spend on certain projects now expected to fall later in the year.
The variances against profile are published each month in the Fiscal Monitor. This provides the spending by Ministerial Vote Group, broken out into current and capital spend, and the variance from profile. It also compares spending to the same period in the previous year. This is available on the Department of Finance website each month.
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