I move:—
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £10 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending 31st March, 1948, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Office of the Minister for External Affairs, and of certain Services administered by that Office (No. 16 of 1924), including sundry Grants-in-Aid.
This Supplementary Estimate arises from the fact that a Celtic Congress was held here last July. Such congresses had been held previously in the years 1925 and 1934. A Grant-in-Aid of £1,000 was made by the Department in order to assist the entertainment of delegates who attended the congress. The money was given by way of an advance from the Department of Finance through the Contingency Fund and the present Supplementary Estimate is presented with a view to securing authority for the repayment of that advance.