Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy will be aware that, in December 2005, the Appropriation Act included €56.4 million in respect of capital carry-over from 2005 to 2006 for the HSE. This was based on information received in my Department from the Department of Health and Children to the effect that this capital saving would be achieved in 2005 and available to be carried forward into 2006. On 17 January last, my Department received provisional outturn figures for the HSE for 2005 from the Department of Health and Children which indicated that the capital savings anticipated by the HSE in December 2005 may have been used to meet similar sized costs under the current expenditure heading. Given that an amount of €56.4 million had been included in the Appropriation Act, it was incumbent on me to inform this House that this carry-over might not now be available. Accordingly, I took the earliest opportunity available to inform the Dáil by making a statement on the matter on 25 January last. I also indicated that the Department of Health and Children was awaiting final verification of the 2005 outturn from the HSE and that I was determined to ensure there would not be an adverse impact on the plans for the HSE capital spending in 2006.

Because of the uncertainty in regard to the HSE's capital spending, no provision was made for the HSE in the ministerial order providing for capital carry-over generally endorsed by the Dáil on 7 March last and which I signed on 9 March. I have now been advised by the Department of Health and Children that the HSE's Appropriation Account for 2005 has been completed. It shows there is an overrun of €300,000 on current expenditure and a saving of €51 million on capital expenditure — of course, the Deputy will appreciate that the Appropriation Account is still subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. In keeping with the undertaking which I gave earlier, I will be proposing a Supplementary Estimate of €51 million for the HSE at the appropriate time.

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