Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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409. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 541 of 4 November 2025, which requested a breakdown by Departmental vote of various aggregate amounts set out in Table 2 on page 12 of the Expenditure Report and his response, to correct and confirm each of the amounts contained in this table (details supplied) which was derived from the aforementioned Reconciliation Tables; and to provide an explanation for each discrepancy between this table and the actual budget package components. [61589/25]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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410. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to provide the calculations used by his Department to arrive at the figure of 0.9 billion for 'Increase in Recipients' published in the Expenditure Report 2025. [61590/25]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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411. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to provide further details of the component parts that make up the €1.4 billion other category; and to confirm whether any of the allocation arises from policy changes due to commence in 2026; and if so the portion. [61591/25]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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412. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform whether any of the €2.2 billion allocated to 'Key Policy Adjustments and Expansion of Services' relates to an increase in recipients; and if so the portion. [61592/25]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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413. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform whether any of the €0.9 billion allocated to increase in recipients relates to key policy adjustments or expansion of services due to commence in 2026. [61593/25]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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414. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to clarify the Budget Package component described as 'Key Policy Adjustments and Expansion of Services' including the parameters determining which funding provisions are captured by this heading; and the way in which these parameters differ from those pertaining to the heading last year of 'New Measures'. [61594/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 409 to 414, inclusive, together.

Each year the Expenditure Report seeks to improve on previous iterations, to refine and improve the approach used to presenting budget day figures The Expenditure Report 2026 provides a more detailed description of the Budget package components than in previous years in the table set out on page 12 of this year’s report. There have been many alternative presentational approaches in the past and work on the best way to present each years Budget will be an iterative process.

The approach taken to the Budget 2026 differs from previous years and therefore cannot be compared on a like for like basis. The information is no longer available in format used in recent years as the Budget Estimates for 2026 have been constructed in a different way to previous years budgets. This was undertaken to better reflect the totality of expenditure, where this funding is being invested and what is being delivered for our growing population. This approach placed a greater emphasis on reform, efficiency and placing value for money at the centre of Government decision making. It allows for more focus on the total size of the overall expenditure ceiling for next year.

The overall uplift for next year was split into certain categories set out in the table on page 12 of this year’s report. This outlined that:

• €0.9 billion has been provided for increased recipients of public services particularly in the areas of social protection; housing; and childcare and disability. This includes an additional c.30,000 recipients in pensions, illness, disability and carers schemes in 2026. It provides for increased recipients on childcare programmes, such as an increase of the approximately 35,000 children on the National Childcare Scheme over 2025; and increased recipients on housing schemes such an additional 5,000 new homes under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SCHEP) as well as additional funding for Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) tenancies in 2026 including over 8,000 new tenancies.
• €2.2 billion has been provided for key policy adjustments and expansion of services to reflect expenditure for broadening the availability of supports; expansion of eligibility for schemes; extension of policies; or introduction of new supports to deliver enhanced services for citizens, particularly through social protection, such as increased welfare rates and new targeted measures; education & youth, such as additional staffing, DEIS Plus and Curricular Reforms; further & higher education, such as increasing apprenticeship places and expanding student support; and additional funding for public transport.
• The “Other” category reflects costs associated with the running of particular schemes and recruitment of additional staff, this includes the World Food Programme and ACRES funding; Mother and Baby Institution Payment Scheme; SICAP and Community Development Supports; Start Up Ireland and driving digitalisation in Enterprise agencies; and additional funding for the justice sector.
• €1.1 billion has been provided for the 2026 cost of decisions taken in 2025 and carryover of Budget 2025 decisions. Some examples include the additional costs of running public transport services through the Public Service Obligation payments; costs associated with rollout of Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit and introduction of auto-enrolment; Bovine TB Action Plan; and costs of the 2025 childcare measures.
• €1.2 billion has been allocated to fund the costs of the public sector pay agreement arising in 2026 for all sectors, including the pension impact of this agreement.

The breakdown by individual Departmental Vote Group is set out in the Reconciliation Tables in each Vote Group chapter in Part 2 of the Expenditure Report. As well as the figures for each category, a more detailed listing of what items the expenditure is being provided to fund is set out for many of the lines in tables in these Vote Group chapters, along with further information in the Vote Group chapters on the service delivery 2026 allocations will support. Part 3 of the Expenditure Report sets out the allocation at programme level for each Vote, with Social Protection and Health included at subhead level.

In relation to the table forwarded on by the Deputy, we are not in a position to correct and confirm each of the amounts contained, however my officials are available for a meeting to discuss if the Deputy wishes.