I move:—
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £145,250 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1954, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Office of the Minister for Industry and Commerce, including certain Services administered by that Office, and for payment of certain Subsidies and sundry Grants-in-Aid.
This has two parts in it. The first is consequential on the passing of the Turf Development Act, 1953, which provided for increased grants to Bord na Móna for the building of houses. As I explained, when the Act was introduced the 1950 Act provided for much lower grants to Bord na Móna for houses on the assumption that Bord na Móna would qualify for advances out of the Transition Development Fund as well as for grants provided under the Act. In fact that fund was wound up before Bord na Móna got building the houses and so they were unable to draw from it. I told them to go ahead and that retrospectively the amount they expected they would get would be provided for them. There is due to the board. Therefore money on the basis of grants at the rate of £570 per house for 464 houses built. They built some other houses with shops and so forth that are let at economic rents, but the number that qualify for grants is 464. That represents a total of£264,480 due to them against which they got on the basis of the old Act £84,680 leaving a balance due of £179,880. There was provided in the Estimate £85,500 leaving £94,380 still due to them which is being rounded up by this Estimate to £95,000. That is the amount which is due to them and payment of that sum now will enable their housing activities to be maintained without a further payment for this year.