Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2013

In short

This law is about managing government spending over the medium term by setting overall government expenditure limits and specific spending limits for each government minister. It also amends existing laws related to ministerial and fiscal responsibility.

What it regulates

The setting of upper limits on total government expenditure for three financial years.
The apportionment of these overall limits into specific spending ceilings for each Minister of the Government.
The provision of information by public service bodies to the Minister for the purpose of setting ministerial expenditure ceilings.
The assessment functions of the Fiscal Council regarding macroeconomic forecasts and fiscal stance.

Who it concerns

The Government, particularly the Minister for Finance and other Ministers of the Government.
Public service bodies, which may be requested to provide information.

Key points

Each financial year, the Government must approve a "Government expenditure ceiling" for each of the next three financial years.
The Government can revise these ceilings to be greater or less than the original amount.
Within the overall Government expenditure ceiling, the Government must approve "Ministerial expenditure ceilings" for each Minister's area of responsibility for the same three financial years.
The total of the Estimates for Public Services and estimates for expenditure from the Social Insurance Fund and National Training Fund for a financial year cannot exceed the Government expenditure ceiling for that year.

Legal text

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2013 Skip to content Disclaimer Feedback Helpdesk Gaeilge Léim go dtí an t-ábhar Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach English Gaeilge English Produced by the Office of the Attorney General Táirgthe ag Oifig an Ard-Aighne Home Legislation Acts of the Oireachtas Statutory Instruments Pre-1922 Legislation Constitution External Resources Bills (Houses of the Oireachtas) Iris Oifigiúil / Official Gazette Revised Acts (LRC) Classified List of Legislation (LRC) Translations (acts.

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s)or rangeBliain nó blianta nó raon TypeCineál All Legislation Acts Statutory Instruments Advanced SearchCuardach Casta HomeBaile ActsAchtanna 2013 Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2013 Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2013 Permanent Page URL View by SectionAmharc de réir Ailt View Full ActAmharc ar an Acht Iomlán Bill History Stair Bille Commencement, Amendments, SIs made under the Act Tosach Feidhme, Leasuithe, IRí arna ndéanamh faoin Acht Open PDFOscail PDF Print Full ActPriontáil an tAcht Iomlán Number 29 of 2013 MINISTERS AND SECRETARIES (AMENDMENT) ACT 2013 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS Section 1. Amendment of Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011. 2. Ministerial expenditure ceilings: provision of information to Minister. 3. Amendment of Fiscal Responsibility Act 2012. 4. Short title, commencement and collective citation. Acts Referred to Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003 Fiscal Responsibility Act 2012 2012, No. 39 Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011 2011, No. 10 Ministers and Secretaries Acts 1924 to 2011 Number 29 of 2013 MINISTERS AND SECRETARIES (AMENDMENT) ACT 2013 AN ACT TO MAKE PROVISION FOR MEDIUM-TERM EXPENDITURE MANAGEMENT AND FOR THAT PURPOSE TO MAKE PROVISION FOR GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE CEILINGS AND MINISTERIAL EXPENDITURE CEILINGS, AND TO AMEND THE MINISTERS AND SECRETARIES (AMENDMENT) ACT 2011 AND THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT 2012 . [23rd July, 2013] BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS: Amendment of Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011. 1.— The Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011 is amended by substituting the following for section 17: “Government expenditure ceilings and Ministerial expenditure ceilings. 17.—

(1)In this section— ‘Estimates for Public Services’ means the estimates of expenditure in relation to supply grants and appropriations-in-aid in respect of supply services for a financial year prepared by the Minister in the performance of functions transferred to the Minister by section 8

(1)and submitted by the Government to Dáil Éireann for approval; ‘Government expenditure’ means the sum of expenditure which is met out of— (

a)money supplied out of supply grants and appropriations-in-aid in respect of supply services, (
b)money paid out of the Social Insurance Fund, and (
c)money paid out of the National Training Fund, consolidated within and between each of the categories specified in paragraphs (a), (
b)and (c).

(2)Each financial year the Government shall, upon a proposal of the Minister for Finance, make a decision approving an upper limit on the amount of Government expenditure (in this section referred to as the ‘Government expenditure ceiling’) for each of the 3 financial years immediately following the first-mentioned financial year.

(3)Where the Government have made a decision under subsection

(2)or this subsection, they may, upon a proposal of the Minister for Finance, make a further decision approving an upper limit on the amount of Government expenditure that is greater or less than the Government expenditure ceiling (in this section referred to as the ‘revised Government expenditure ceiling’), for any one or more of the financial years concerned.

(4)The Minister for Finance shall consult with the Minister in relation to a proposal referred to in subsection

(2)and a proposal referred to in subsection

(3).

(5)The Minister for Finance shall, on behalf of the Government, inform Dáil Éireann of a decision under subsection

(2)or

(3)as soon as may be after the decision is made.

(6)Subject to the Government expenditure ceiling or revised Government expenditure ceiling, as the case may be, each financial year the Government shall, upon a proposal of the Minister, make a decision approving the amount of Government expenditure to be apportioned to the area of responsibility of each Minister of the Government (referred to in this section as a ‘Ministerial expenditure ceiling’) for each of the 3 financial years concerned.

(7)Subject to the Government expenditure ceiling or revised Government expenditure ceiling, as the case may be, where the Government have made a decision under subsection

(6)or this subsection, they may, upon a proposal of the Minister, make a further decision revising any Ministerial expenditure ceiling for any one or more of the financial years concerned.

(8)The Minister shall, on behalf of the Government, inform Dáil Éireann of a decision under subsection

(6)or

(7)as soon as may be after the decision is made.

(9)The aggregate of— (

a)the Estimates for Public Services for a financial year, and (
b)the estimates of the amount of expenditure in that financial year to be met out of money paid out of the Social Insurance Fund and the National Training Fund, shall not exceed the Government expenditure ceiling or the revised Government expenditure ceiling, as the case may be, for that financial year.

(10)The Minister for Finance may make recommendations to the Minister as respects the proportion of the Government expenditure ceiling or revised Government expenditure ceiling, as the case may be, that, having regard to fiscal and economic conditions, the Minister for Finance considers should be applied to meet— (

a)current expenditure requirements, and (
b)capital expenditure requirements.”. Ministerial expenditure ceilings: provision of information to Minister. 2.— The Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011 is amended by inserting the following section after section 17: “17A.—

(1)A public service body may, and shall if requested by the Minister, provide to the Minister such information as may be reasonably necessary for the purposes of any function of the Minister under subsection

(6)or

(7)of section 17.

(2)Information provided to the Minister under subsection

(1)shall not include any personal data (within the meaning of the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003).

(3)Where the Minister requests information under subsection

(1)the information shall be provided in such form and manner and within such period as the Minister may specify.”. Amendment of Fiscal Responsibility Act 2012. 3.— The Fiscal Responsibility Act 2012 is amended in section 8 by substituting the following for subsection

(4): “

(4)The Fiscal Council shall— (

a)endorse, as it considers appropriate, the macroeconomic forecasts prepared by the Department of Finance on which the Budget and stability programme will be based, (
b)provide an assessment of the official forecasts, and (
c)in relation to each Budget and stability programme, provide an assessment of whether the fiscal stance for the year or years concerned is, in the opinion of the Fiscal Council, conducive to prudent economic and budgetary management, including by reference to the provisions of the Stability and Growth Pact.”. Short title, commencement and collective citation. 4.—

(1)This Act may be cited as the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2013.

(2)This Act shall come into operation on such day as the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform may appoint by order.

(3)The Ministers and Secretaries Acts 1924 to 2011 and this Act (other than section 3 ) may be cited together as the Ministers and Secretaries Acts 1924 to 2013.

(4)The Fiscal Responsibility Act 2012 and section 3 may be cited together as the Fiscal Responsibility Acts 2012 and 2013. Privacy Statement Accessibility European Legislation Identifier (PDF) Open Data License Ráiteas Príobháideachais Inrochtaineacht Aitheantóir Eorpach Reachtaíochta (ELI) Ceadúnas Sonraí Oscailte Liosta Fianán © Government of Ireland. Oireachtas Copyright Material is reproduced with the permission of the Houses of the Oireachtas © Rialtas na hÉireann. Atáirgtear ábhar faoi Chóipcheart le cead ó Thithe an Oireachtais

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