asked the Minister for Finance if he will state how he proposes to allocate the sums promised in his Budget statement in respect of: (a) Extra road works, £1,000,000; (b) Public Health and housing, £550,000; (c) milk for school children, £100,000; (d) rates on agricultural land, £250,000; when the money under these several heads will be available for local authorities, and whether, in view of the immediate need for employment throughout the country, he will expedite the allocation and take all necessary steps to ensure that the new works shall be proceeded with during the summer months.
Private Notice Questions. - Allocation of Grants.
As regards (a), the grant will be allocated on the basis of the extent of unemployment throughout the Saorstát, statistics of which are being compiled; it is understood that the compilation will not be completed before the end of a fortnight. I have already indicated to the Department of Local Government and Public Health that proposals may now be entertained on the basis that a £1,000,000 grant will be available, and, on this understanding, the local authorities have been invited to submit skeleton schemes in advance of specific allocations as between each county.
As regards (b), the sum of £550,000 to be placed at the disposal of local authorities for the carrying out of public health and housing schemes will be advanced from the Local Loans Fund towards the financing of schemes approved by the Minister for Local Government and Public Health. Advances will be made as schemes are formulated and approved.
As regards (c) it is intended to distribute this grant between the different local Poor Law authorities in proportion to the numbers of children in respect of whom home assistance is being allowed in the different areas. I understand that the preparation of appropriate schemes will require about a month.
As regards (d) it is contemplated that the additional grant will be directed particularly to the relief of rates on the first £10 of the valuation of holdings in each county. Statements have already been called for from the different local authorities to enable a suitable basis of apportionment to be worked out.
The Deputy may rest assured that the necessary money will be available to provide for schemes as they are formulated and approved.
Will the Minister say who is being held responsible for the proper preparation of the unemployment statistics?
The Department of Industry and Commerce.
I understood the Civic Guard authorities were being asked to take a list of unemployed in the different localities.
In order to facilitate the registration of unemployed persons at Labour Exchanges, facilities for registration at Post Offices and Civic Guard stations have been provided and the existence of these facilities for registration is advertised in the Press.
Am I to understand that the Minister for Finance will rely on the figures prepared by the Post Offices and the Civic Guard authorities, in conjunction with the local employment exchanges?
Yes.
Is the Minister in a position to make a statement as to how the £250,000 is to be distributed in relief of rates?
I have already indicated in my reply the basis upon which the allocation will be made. That is going to be the basis of the allocation.
Have the local authorities been put into the position that they can make that allocation and settle the collection of the rates on that basis?
The figures are not yet available, but the basis on which the allocation will be made has been indicated to local authorities.
Can the Minister say whether the collection of rates has been proceeded with?
For the first moiety, yes.
I say that the answer made just now by the Minister for Industry and Commerce, in reply to Deputy Davin, was the only obvious answer to give, in view of the repeated statements in the Dáil by the Minister that they were about to prepare a census of the unemployed through the medium of the Post Offices and the Civic Guards.
What is the Deputy's question?
I am pointing out that the Deputy asked a question which it was quite obvious need not have been asked at all. I am more concerned with the rates of pay to be paid under the scheme or schemes, and I want to ask the Minister has he or the Department given any consideration to that aspect of the matter? I am asking this question in view of the personnel of the Department. We are told that Deputy Hugo Flinn is to be put in charge of this allocation. Is the Minister prepared to state the rates of pay proposed to be given to labourers under these schemes?
I have nothing further to add to the statement that I have already made.
I thought so.