I move:—
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £8,670 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending the 31st day of March, 1950, for Salaries and other Expenses in connection with Wireless Broadcasting (No. 45 of 1926), including Public Concerts.
When presenting the Estimate for Wireless Broadcasting for the current financial year to the Dáil in July last, I mentioned that another source of international news had been made available to the news section of the broadcasting service. The current year's contract for the additional news service was entered into after the main Estimate had been approved and provision was not, therefore, made for it. As sufficient savings will not be available on sub-head B to cover the fee to the additional news agency and the cost of handling the extra material now reaching the news-room, an extra £2,600 will be required under sub-head B during the present financial year.
An additional £8,165 is required under sub-head F. Of this amount, £1,515 is in respect of studio equipment which was provided for in the Estimate for 1948-49 but which was not delivered or paid for until this year, and £4,940 is in respect of accounts from the contractor for the short-wave station which should normally have been paid last year but were not because the contractor did not send in his bills in time.
The remaining £1,710 required under sub-head F represents the cost of completing the short-wave station and reerecting aerials which were taken down and put into store when it was decided to suspend work on this station. The only short-wave provision in the Vote for the current year is a small sum for maintenance cost and it is therefore necessary to provide by Supplementary Vote for these outstanding bills for equipment and for completing the station.
The transmitter and aerial system for North America have now been completed, but extensive engineering tests over the air will be needed. I hope to have more information available on this subject by the time the main Estimate for the coming year is ready for presentation.
The gross total needed for the items specified above is £10,765, but it is estimated that there will be savings amounting to £2,095 under sub-head A. These savings are due mainly to vacancies being unfilled for portion of the year.
The net additional sum now required is, therefore, £8,670.