CUTS TO the amount of money the Government will spend on public services in 2011 have been outlined in the Government’s Estimates for Public Services and Summary Public Capital Programme.
The document, which accompanied this week’s Budget, outlines in detail how the Government plans to make billions of euro in savings in the public sector bill.
The revised estimates will be published early next year.
Among the Government departments worst hit in terms of capital investment are the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Department of Transport, the Department of Justice and Law Reform and the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht affairs.
Among the projects and capital investments to be curtailed next year are:
The Department of Foreign Affairs’ contribution to Irish Aid, will be cut by 30 per cent from €52.4 million to €37.2 million;
- Spending on information technology and communications infrastructure in schools to be cut by 80 per cent from €76.5 million to €15 million;
- Social housing provision and support to be cut from €829.5 million to €529.5 million;
- Planned spending on infrastructural projects on the country’s islands to be reduced from €11 million to €3.7 million;
- Building grants and capital costs for third-level institutions to be halved from €168.9 million to €82.3 million;
- Building, equipment and furnishing of national schools to be cut by 9 per cent from €244.8 million to €222 million;
- Building grants and capital costs for second-level schools to be cut from €200 million to €161 million;
- Sustainable energy programmes to be cut from €105.1 million to €79.5 million;
- Investment in road improvements and maintenance to be cut from €1.6 billion to €1.2 billion;
- Public transport investment programme to be cut by 36 per cent from €615 million to €394 million – regional airports to see a 44 per cent reduction in funding from €23.9 million to €13.4 million;
- Cultural development programmes, including funding for arts infrastructure such as theatres, to be cut by 50 per cent from €16.4 million to €8.2 million;
- Grant to RTÉ for broadcasting licence fees to be cut by 5 per cent from €195 million to €185 million.
