I want to know why did not the Ministers responsible for these Departments form their Estimates more accurately. I was for a considerable time chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. When I was on that committee the principle was laid down that Estimates ought to be formed at the beginning of the year within 2 or 3 per cent. of what a Department wanted. I want to draw the attention of the House to the practice that has now grown up of bringing in an Estimate for £428,000 in respect of superannuation and retired allowances, and then blandly informing us in the month of March, at the end of the financial year, that a further 25 per cent. was required.
I think that reflects very gravely on the Minister responsible for making the Estimate. It is true that, technically, this Estimate is an Estimate from the Office of the Minister for Finance though it concerns the Minister for Justice who is primarily responsible for the Garda Síochána. If an estimate of what would be required for this purpose in the course of a financial year is wrong by 25 per cent. I think that should be the occasion of a very exhaustive explanation as to why more money is necessary, especially in view of the prospect that was held out to us that there would be no more Supplementary Estimates. Instead, we have received from the Minister for Finance an inadequate reading of a short statement prepared for him by officials of his Department which I do not think is a proper explanation.
We have here a sum of £105,000, retiring gratuities and an increase for pension allowances to be paid in the course of this financial year to retired members of the Garda Síochána, to their widows, children and dependents.
I observe that on the Order Paper of the House there are several Supplementary Estimates coming forward. I would be grateful if the Minister for Finance would take the occasion of this Supplementary Estimate to give the House some indication as to whether there are any more coming along and, if so, how many, because I think that we ought to have that information present to our minds when we are considering the expediency of authorising the expenditure of the sum that is here being requisitioned.