I move:—
That a sum not exceeding £3,050,310 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending the 31st day of March, 1947, for the Army and the Army Reserve (including certain Grants-in-Aid) under the Defence Forces (Temporary Provisions) Acts, and for certain administrative Expenses in connection therewith; for Expenses in connection with the trial and detention of certain persons (No. 28 of 1939, No. 1 of 1940 and No. 16 of 1940, etc.); for certain Expenses under the Offences against the State Acts, 1939 and 1940 (No. 13 of 1939 and No. 2 of 1940) and the Air-raid Precautions Act, 1939 (No. 21 of 1939); for Reserve Medical Supplies for Civilian Hospitals; for certain Expenses of the Local Defence Force, 1941 to 1946; for Expenses in connection with the issue of Medals, etc.; and for Expenses in connection with the Production of certain Chemicals for Sale.
Before addressing myself to the explanation of this Estimate of £5,047,670 for the Army Vote for the financial year 1946-47, I feel it is opportune to refer to the Government's policy towards the Army. In a recent debate on the Defence Forces (Temporary Provisions) Bill, certain Deputies seemed to think that the Government had no policy regarding the Army and that much of the expenditure on the Army was an unnecessary and grievous burden on the taxpayer. Indeed, if certain speeches were driven to their logical conclusion, it would appear that the Army would have little or no importance in the future of the State. As, however, I shall show, the Government's military policy has on a number of occasions been enunciated clearly in this House, and Army expenditure has been kept at the lowest possible level consistent with the effective implementation of that policy.
The Government came into power in 1932 at a time when the Estimate for the year had already been determined by our predecessors and we took the responsibility of putting it through this House without a change in the smallest detail. In that year, the Estimate was for £1,345,508, and the Army consisted of about 5,500 regular personnel with 4,300 Class "A", 3,900 Class "B" reservists, 764 volunteer reserve and 220 reserve officers. The Estimate of £1,279,544, for the following year, 1934, was for practical purposes the same figure and the reduction was mainly attributable to the cessation of certain services and to the reduced level of prices.
By 1935, the Government had time to go into the future policy of the Army and the Estimate, £1,503,836, reflects the policy. In the previous year the Government had established the Volunteer Force, and speaking in this House in 1934, my predecessor said:—
"The policy of the State as regards the Army is briefly to have a small highly-trained standing Army which will serve as a pivot around which may be organised, developed and trained, the entire Reserve and Volunteer Force and, if necessary, the entire man power of the State, and to that end the Army itself is being, and will be, provided with the most intensive training, the most up-to-date arms and equipment, and the most scientific warlike weapons which the State can afford."
Referring to the increased expenditure, he said:—
"The increase has been utilised . . .mainly in providing technical courses, equipment and material for all corps and services of the Army. The increased expenditure in technical equipment and material finds ready justification in the very fact that the Regular Army is a small one and that the smaller the Army the more intensive must be its training, the more highly organised its units, and the more specialised its equipment and weapons. . . Such equipment costs money but it is money economically spent, for if there is to be any Army at all, it is in the long view more economical that it should be an effective instrument of defence, rather than a weapon that cannot be relied upon in an emergency."
In 1936 there was a further increase of £35,000 on the Vote, due mainly to the purchase of warlike stores. As regards these stores, the then Minister said:—
"There is an increase, due to the necessity of renewing aircraft, which has become obsolete, and has had to be put out of commission. In connection with stores generally, it should be noted that in relation to the total cost of the Army, we are spending less on warlike material and equipment than any other country in Europe. This is principally due to the fact that hitherto we have concentrated more on man-power than on mechanical power. We are not, of course, neglecting the aspect of mechanisation, and, as far as our resources permit, we are making every effort to familiarise the Army with this new form of defence. We are, for instance, training the troops in the use of modern tanks, new mechanical fighting vehicles, the latest pattern of trench mortars, the latest models of heavy and light machine-guns, and the most up-to-date methods of wireless telephonic and telegraphic communication in the field. Our efforts in this direction have so far been mainly experimental, but we hope with the lessons thereby acquired to provide the Army gradually with the most modern equipment which our resources can afford".
In implementing the policy outlined there was in every subsequent year a gradual increase in the Army Vote especially in regard to equipment and fighting material. In 1938, it was found that the old establishment of the Army was not sufficient to carry out its functions and, in that year, the establishment was raised by 500 other ranks and by a further 1,000 in the following year.
I think, therefore, I have said sufficient to prove that a definite Army policy was formulated by the Government, that the policy was more than once clearly enunciated here in this House, and that there is no substance whatever in the suggestion that we created unnecessary expenditure or added to the taxpayers' burden more than was necessary for his security and protection. I suggest to this House that events during the past six years have more than justified the Government's wisdom and foresight. At the critical moments in 1940 and 1941, we had a small standing Army which served as a pivot around which we were able to organise, develop and train not only the reservists but also a large part of the man power of the State as represented by those who enlisted in the Army for the emergency and the members of the old L.D.F. For that purpose, we gave the Army itself during the days of peace the most intensive training, and, as far as we could, the most up-to-date arms, equipment and scientific warlike weapons.
Our policy in the future will be to maintain a force which will be sufficiently strong and well-equipped to meet effectively whatever contingencies may arise and, having determined the policy, the question arises—what establishment of the regular Army is necessary to carry it out? On the best advice available, and on the strength of past experience, the Government considers that an establishment of about 12,500 all ranks will be needed. That may be modified by experience or by factors outside our control, but, provisionally, we think that we shall require that strength. In 1939, before the outbreak of hostilities we required an establishment of 7,262 other ranks. The proposed establishment of 12,500 would include 11,304 other ranks, and in the Estimate before the House, as a temporary measure, we are asking for 9,270, that is 2,000 more than the 1939 figure.
Having decided on the policy and the establishment of the regular Army, the next question to be settled is its cost and that will be determined by the conditions of service, the cost of commodities and the price of warlike materials. The conditions of service are much better and, therefore, more costly to-day than in 1932. Every N.C.O. has received an increase of 6d. a day, and every private soldier 1/- a day. In 1932, the rates of pay for privates were 2/-, 2/3 and 2/6; to-day they are 3/-, 3/3 and 3/6. That alone would mean an increase on the 1932 figure of £76,520. In 1932 the admission of the married soldier to the married establishment was conditioned by age and service and was limited to a percentage of the total establishment of the Army. We have abolished the undesirable limitations of age and percentage, and have conditioned the admission by two years' service alone. The result is that while in 1932 the cost was only £70,000 a year, to-day the cost is £250,000. On the 1932 establishment that would involve an increase of nearly £100,000. Again in 1932, we were able to feed the soldier on the basis of a ration allowance of 1/5 a day but now the allowance has risen to 2/3 a day. That means, on the 1932 establishment, an increase of about £75,000. These three factors—and there are many others—show that we could not have to-day the Army of 1932 without an increase of £250,000.
Coming now to the Estimate for the year 1946-47, it will be seen that the new organisation provides for three arms: the Regular or Permanent Force, a First Line Reserve, and a Second Line Reserve composed of An Fórsa Cosanta Aitiúil.
As regards the first arm, the Permanent Force, the establishment provided for is purely provisional and does not represent the definite peace establishment which has yet to be fixed and approved. The Estimate here provides for:—officers, 1,504; other ranks, 9,270; cadets, 146; Construction Corps, 1,775; chaplains, 21; nurses, 153; total, 12,869 all ranks.
The second arm, the First Line Reserve, comprises the old forces— Class A Reserve, Class B Reserve, Volunteer Force, Reserve of Officers, and the new force, Reserve of Men— First Line. Our intention is to allow men from the old forces, if eligible, to enlist in the new force, but if they do not wish to do so, to allow them to serve out the residue of their engagements in the old forces. The latter will, therefore, gradually disappear and this Line will then be exclusively composed of Reservists, First Line. Here, the Estimate provides for about 9,000 all ranks.
The third arm, the old L.D.F., now known as An Fórsa Cosanta Aitiúil, will form a Second Line Reserve and we hope that we shall have about 50,000 all ranks.
In addition to the military establishments, the Estimate covers the civilian establishment of the Department. It provides for the employment of 2,326 civilians as follows:—Civilians attached to units (sub-head C), 1,518; Department of Defence (sub-head Y), 742; transport vessels (sub-head S (1)), 35; industrial plant (sub-head P (3)), 22; herds and caretakers (sub-head T), 9; total, 2,326.
Turning from the establishment to the financial aspect of the Estimate, the gross original Estimate last year was for £8,411,942, but towards the end of that year the House approved a supplementary sum of £1,081,906, making a total gross Vote for the year 1945-46 of £9,493,848. The gross Estimate now before the House is £5,047,670, so that, in effect, there is a decrease of £4,446,178. But, even here, it is necessary to point out that, in the gross total for this year, there is included a purely emergency carrying-over of £771,000, made up as follows:—Emergency gratuities and re-enlistment bounties (sub-head A (4)), £770,000; gratuities to chaplains, £1,000; total, £771,000. If, therefore,, we exclude this purely emergency item, the total decreases on the Vote would be £5,217,178.
The principal item of expenditure in the Estimate is the cost of the regular Army (including the Construction Corps). Pay is only one of the many items included in that expenditure for, in addition to his pay, the soldier is maintained at public expense and receives free clothing, fuel, light, water, medical treatment, transport, furniture, food, insurance, etc. The pay and upkeep of an unmarried Class III private soldier costs the State to-day about £127 a year, and, if married, about £223. The comparative figures in 1932 were £93 and £148. Under all these items, the expenditure in the Vote is £2,680,499 made up as follows:—pay, £1,495,802; cash allowances, £612,699; allowances in kind, £571,998; total, £2,680,499.
The same costing factors in the case of the First Line Reserve show the expenditure to be £80,900, made up of:— pay (including grants), £68,150; cash allowances, £3,700; allowances in kind, £9,050; total, £80,900.
The expenditure under the similar headings of the Second Line Reserve is £115,944, made up of:— pay (including grants), £72,800; cash allowances, £3,156; allowances in kind, £39,488; hire of halls, £500; total, £115,944.
The cost of the civilian establishments in salaries, wages, insurance and allowances is £522,841, comprising:— civilians attached to units, £289,342; Department of Defence, £213,853; marine transport service, £8,807; industrial plant, £3,000; herds and caretakers, £1,003; insurance, £6,836; total, £522,841.
The next heavy item of expenditure on the Vote is that of stores and here we must distinguish between stores for warlike purposes and ordinary stores which cannot be regarded as essentially fighting weapons. Under ordinary stores, we have such items as medical equipment, transport vehicles, petrol and oils, camp equipment, transport vessels, engineering tools and plants, and many other items too numerous to mention. These items are distributed over several headings of the Estimate but their total cost is, approximately, £340,336.
Stores whose primary function is of a warlike nature, such as aircraft, artillery, rifles, machine guns, armoured vehicles and combat vessels, are estimated to cost about £397,545. This sum is made up of items included in sub-heads O, P, P (2) and Q as follows:—Sub-head O — capital and maintenance, £179,460; sub-head P— maintenance, £16,235; sub-head P (2)— capital and maintenance, £200,100; sub-head Q — targets, etc., £1,750; Total, £397,545.
The capital expenditure under sub-head O covers the purchase of 12 Spitfires, three Ansons and two target towers. This purchase is in accord with the military policy of equipping the Army with the latest obtainable modern weapons of defence and will help to bring our equipment in this respect up-to-date.
The capital expenditure under sub-head P (2) comprises the cost of purchasing three corvettes for coastal patrol. During the emergency we bought a number of small motor torpedo boats which are quite satisfactory but the Muirchu and Fort Rannoch have now served their purpose and we hope to replace them by corvettes.
There are a number of other items included in the Estimate which cannot be grouped under any distinctive general heading and which are, therefore, best grouped as incidentals. They cost £94,573 and comprise:—
Technical courses abroad, £1,000; horse shows, £1,000; assistance to civil aviation, £500; military lands (capital and maintenance), £16,068; compensation for damage to property, £15,250; telegrams and telephones, £44,150; industrial plant stores, £4,750; Special Criminal Courts, etc., £6,080; medals, £1,000; claims for old L.D.F., £2,500; miscellaneous expenses (advertisements, postage, etc.), £2,275; total, £94,573.
The final item covered in the Estimate is the cost of the Air Raid Precautions Branch at £44,032. This comprises:—Grants, £40,632; maintenance of stores, £3,400; total, £44,032.
The grants cover £26,130 in respect of outstanding claims by local authorities, essential undertakers, employees and hospitals, and £14,502 mainly for the removal of shelters, static water tanks, signs, cowling lights, sirens, etc., during the present year.
Summing up, therefore, the expenditure on the Army as represented by this Estimate, the position is:
% of |
||
£ |
Vote. |
|
Pay and Maintenance of Regular Army |
2,680,499 |
53.10 |
Pay and Maintenance of First Line Reserve |
80,900 |
1.60 |
Pay and Maintenance of Second Line Reserve |
115,944 |
2.30 |
Salaries and Wages of Civilians |
522,841 |
10.36 |
Ordinary Stores |
340,336 |
6.74 |
Warlike Stores |
397,545 |
7.86 |
Incidentals |
94,573 |
1.88 |
Air Raid Precautions |
44,032 |
.88 |
Emergency Gratuities and Re-Enlistment Bounties |
771,000 |
15.28 |
TOTAL |
£5,047,670 |
100% |
As regards the Army itself, Deputies will realise that it is in a state of transition from emergency to peace conditions. During the financial year 115 regular officers are due to retire and, of these, 102 will on 31st March, 1946, proceed on six months' leave with full pay and allowances. Of 1,231 temporary officers, 331 have been found suitable for retention and, consequently, about 730 will be released between now and June; 70 in July, and 100 in August, 1946. The demobilisation of all ranks is proceeding rapidly and up to 15th March, 1946, gratuities have been paid to 751 officers at a cost of £115,658, and to 27,263 other ranks (or their dependents) at a cost of £1,387,517. In addition, we have up to the same date dealt to a conclusion with 31,771 claims for unemployment insurance. From these figures it would seem that by next October the problem of demobilisation should be nearing completion.
In concluding this review of the Army's policy, organisation and expenditure, I feel it fitting that I should end with a reference to what may be described as the final appearance of the emergency Army before the public. I refer to the military exhibitions and tattoos held last autumn at Cork, Limerick and Dublin. There were as many men encamped in the vicinity of Ballsbridge for the purposes of the exhibition and tattoo as there were in the old pre-emergency Army, and it is a tribute to all concerned that such a large body of men was handled without a hitch of any kind. In the exhibitions the public were given an intelligent insight into the weapons, machinery and instruments which must be known, mastered and handled by a modern Army and, in the tattoos, they were given an idea of the training and tactics employed and of the use in warfare of the various weapons.
The hundreds of thousands of people who attended the exhibitions and tattoos had an opportunity of judging for themselves the pitch of efficiency to which the Defence Forces attained during the emergency and I feel there can have been nobody who did not bring away with him a feeling of appreciation and pride.