Virement — Principles, Conditions and Restrictions

A Virement Warrant is issued where unforeseen circumstances require additional provision under a particular sub-head (FR 309 also refers to a situation where a new sub-head is required) while equivalent savings can be made under another sub-head of the same Head, subject to National Assembly approval. FR 310 provides that virement must comply with any prescribed limit under overhead costs, shall not be used to create a new sub-head or reintroduce items disallowed during the Estimates exercise or by the National Assembly, and shall not apply to Auditor-General queries concerning improper expenditure already incurred. The apparent tension between FR 309 and FR 310(b) concerning a new sub-head is preserved for human review.

Reference: Federal Government Financial Regulations, FR 309–310