UPDATE 1-Peru Congress OKs 2008 spending rise of 15 pct

(Adds third-quarter fiscal result paragraph 5)

LIMA, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Peru's Congress approved on Tuesday a public-sector budget for 2008 of 71 billion soles ($23.6 billion), with a planned 15 percent climb in spending from 2007 as infrastructure investments rise.

President Alan Garcia plans to spend more on highways, schools and hospitals at a time when the Andean country's economy is growing swiftly.

Congress approved the budget overwhelmingly and did not make any major changes to the proposal Garcia sent lawmakers in August.

The new budget estimates 2008 economic growth of 6.2 percent, below this year's expected growth of about 8 percent, and a fiscal deficit of 0.3 percent of gross domestic product.

In the third quarter of this year, Peru had a fiscal surplus equal to 2.2 percent of GDP, 0.7 percentage point higher than the same period of 2006, the economy ministry said.

The budget sees 2008 inflation at 2 percent, less than forecast inflation of 3 percent to 3.5 percent this year.

Garcia wants to reduce the poverty rate to 30 percent by 2011, when he leaves office, from around 44.5 percent now.

Peru's economy has grown for the last six years, helped by exports of metals from the mineral-rich country. ($1=3.0 Peruvian soles) (Reporting by Marco Aquino, Writing by Terry Wade, Editing by Leslie Adler)