I move:—
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £109,700 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending 31st March, 1950, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Office of the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and of certain other services administered by that Office.
The Estimate for Posts and Telegraphs already approved by the Dáil for the financial year ending 31st March, 1950, amounts to £5,117,800. Owing to causes which could not have been foreseen, this provision will be insufficient, and an additional sum of £109,700 will be required to meet expenditure up to the end of the financial year.
The gross extra expenditure on the sub-heads for which the original provision is insufficient is estimated at £169,040. Against this, however, receipts from appropriations-in-aid will be higher by £28,840 than was estimated and savings amounting to £30,500 will be available from other sub-heads, leaving a net sum of £109,700 to be provided. Against this increased expenditure, I should tell the House that I estimate that additional revenue of £120,000, approximately, will be secured.
The cause of the increased expenditure are briefly as follows:—
Sub-head BB: Increase—£4,000. This is due to the additional cost of subscriptions to the International Postal and Telecommunication Unions consequent upon devaluation, and to increased cost of representation at meetings of these unions.
Sub-head E (1): Increase—£53,500. Of this sum £43,000 is due to increased payments to the Railway Clearing House in respect of parcels posted in this country for delivery in Great Britain, the volume of which during 1949 was much higher than anticipated. The balance of £10,500 is due to increased payments to the railway companies for the carriage of internal parcel mails, the traffic in which has been higher than anticipated, and to additional payments to Córas Iompair Éireann for the conveyance of letter mails on account of increased traffic and additional services.
Subhead E (5): Increase—£28,400. Of this amount £25,000 is due to increased payments for the conveyance of air mails, as a result of devaluation, particularly in respect of air mails conveyed to the United States. The balance of £3,400 is in respect of increased traffic and extension of services.
Sub-head K: Increase—£50,000. Due to increased purchases of stores resulting from the expansion of the telephone service.
Sub-head N (1): Increase—£23,140. Of this sum, £20,000 is required to meet the cost of increases in certain pensions and allowances arising from the pensions increase legislation. The balance is due to greater expenditure on marriage gratuities and death gratuities.
Sub-head Q (2): Increase—£10,000. This is due to payments in respect of contracts for which provision was made in 1948-49 but for which claims have only been made in the current year. These are offset by savings on construction works.
