3.4 It was reported that expenditure was expected to decrease marginally over the MTEF period at an average annual rate of 0.3 percent. That was as a result of a decrease in the capital payments budget subsequent to the completion of the head office building in 2009/10 and fewer property acquisitions in the missions abroad over this period. The Department would concentrate on completing existing capital projects before embarking on new projects due to prevailing economic conditions and government spending priorities. The total available for capital projects over the MTEF period is R798.3 million.