asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he has given further consideration to the suggestion that standard accounts should be kept by all local boards with a view to the preparation and publication annually of accounts, with comparative columns for receipts and expenditure from year to year; whether he is aware that ratepayers would thus have an opportunity of examining the receipts and expenditure of local boards, and thereby place themselves in a position to intelligently criticise local administration, with a view eventually to more economic and efficient administration.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS ORAL ANSWERS. - STANDARD ACCOUNTS FOR PUBLIC BOARDS.
In connection with the local budgets for the current year the county authorities, in December, were asked to publish advance summaries of the financial requirements for their areas. The Local Government Act having become law, steps are being taken to prepare and issue an Order dealing with the keeping of public accounts. Every effort will be made to secure that all essential information will be set out in a lucid and informative manner.
Might I ask the Minister if steps will be taken to have this information published, so that it will be available to the ratepayers?
That will be laid down in the new Order.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, would it be possible for the Minister for Local Government and Public Health to ask the councils to take steps to avail themselves of the shorthand note-takers, who are paid at the expense of the councils, so that an exact report of what occurred at the various councils would go before his department, and be also before the ratepayers, so that they would be able to criticise intelligently? If that were done they would find that most of the increases in salaries have been proposed not by the small farmers but by the representatives of the Farmers' Union.
That is a separate speech.