Minister for Finance Brian Cowen will announce just under €1 billion in extra spending when he presents his Estimates for 2007 this afternoon. He will say that overall Government spending is set to rise by €4 billion next year - a rise of 7 per cent. But about €3 billion of this is accounted for by existing commitments on public pay and services.
Just under €800 million of the extra spending will go on current expenditure. The remainder - just under €200 million - will be spent on infrastructure.
The extra spending is expected to target areas where the Government feels service provision and infrastructure have lagged behind population growth, particularly in the areas of childcare, education and healthcare.
Money is expected for the extension of the Dublin commuter rail network to Navan. The Department of Transport will also announce budgets to increase the Luas capacity and extend one line to Cherrywood in south Dublin and into the docklands, and to build a new train depot in Portlaoise.
Over €100 million extra will be spent by the Department of Education and Science to counter school drop-out numbers, on adult education and literacy programmes, and to encourage children from poorer families to go to third level.
An extra €150 million will be spent by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government next year on council housing, on top of the €1.3 billion spent this year.
The Garda Síochána's budget will rise by 10 per cent, including extra money for "on the beat" officers, more overtime to counter organised crime, and funding for new IT systems and better equipment.
The State's health budget will rise by €1 billion to €14 billion, though €600 million of this will be consumed by rises due under national pay agreements to the 104,000 staff employed. Some €360 million will be earmarked to refund people who were levied illegal nursing home charges.
Over €30 million will be spent on better cancer services, and approximately €200 million will be available for "home care packages" to help families tend to elderly relatives at home.
The figures, published today, apply to "voted Government spending", or spending under direct Government control, which accounts for about 90 per cent of total spending by Government. Together with remaining commitments such as judges' pay and national debt repayments - which are beyond the discretion of Government - total spending is expected to top €60 billion next year, before any measures announced on Budget day.
Increases in health charges for accident and emergency patients, and for those using private beds in public hospitals will not be announced today, sources indicated last night. However, the Department of Finance will only give details of next year's capital spending on roads and other new infrastructure, unlike previous years when multi-annual budgets were given.
The figures due to be spent in subsequent years will not be announced until the Budget, or perhaps, not until the publication of the National Development Plan for 2007-2013 in January.
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin is expected to announce that fines on employers who employ illegal foreign workers will rise to €5,000 for District Court offences, and up to €250,000 for serious breaches. Employers will face extra inspections, and much tougher penalties from a newly independent labour agency.
Nearly €50 million more is to go to the State's Science, Technology and Innovation programme, a 15 per cent increase on this year.