Under the Vote for employment and emergency schemes, moneys are provided for the annual programme of employment schemes to give work to men in receipt of unemployment assistance in urban and rural areas of the country, and for other services such as bog development schemes, rural improvements schemes, minor marine and other miscellaneous works. The Vote also makes provision for the salaries, travelling expenses, etc., of the staff of the Special Employment Schemes Office responsible for the administration of the Vote.
The provision, including allocation from the National Development Fund grant, and estimated expenditure in 1955-56 for the various services were as follows. I am also giving particulars of the expenditure in 1954-55 for each service for comparison:—
Service
|
Total Provision 1955/56
|
Expenditure (Estimated) 1955/56
|
Expenditure (Actual) 1954/55
|
|
|
£
|
£
|
£
|
A.
|
Salaries, travelling and to other incidental expenses.
|
85,000
|
80,460
|
76,990
|
to
|
|
|
|
E.
|
|
|
|
F.
|
Urban Employment Schemes
|
300,000
|
262,540
|
328,728
|
G.
|
Rural Employment Schemes
|
60,000
|
57,100
|
58,237
|
H.
|
Minor Employment Schemes
|
140,000
|
149,700
|
159,034
|
I.
|
Bog Development Schemes
|
153,000
|
167,000
|
150,734
|
J.
|
Rural Improvements Scheme
|
264,000
|
288,000
|
222,600
|
K.
|
Miscellaneous Schemes
|
20,800
|
13,500
|
10,656
|
|
|
£1,022,800
|
£1,018,300
|
£1,006,979
|
At the peak period of employment last year, in December, 1955, employment was given to a total of 6,015 men, of whom 710 were employed on urban schemes and 5,305 on rural schemes.
There has been a further drop in the number of unemployment assistance recipients this year. According to the census taken by the Special Employment Schemes Office, the number of male unemployment assistance recipients in the whole country was 29,953 in January, 1956, compared with 33,576 in January, 1955, and 39,989 in January, 1954. This is a reduction of about 11 per cent. and follows a reduction of 16 per cent. in 1955 compared with 1954. The reduction was greatest in the urban areas, being approximately 17 per cent. compared with 1955, following a drop of 22 per cent. in 1955 compared with 1954. The figures for urban areas are 7,698 in January, 1956, compared with 9,316 in January, 1955, and 11,936 in January, 1954. For rural areas, including towns with a population of 200 and over, the figures were 22,255 in January, 1956, compared with 24,260 in January, 1955, and 28,053 in January, 1954. This is a reduction of 8½ per cent. compared with 1955 and follows a reduction of 13.5 per cent. in 1955 compared with 1954. The total number of men in receipt of unemployment assistance for the week ended the 7th April, 1956, was 25,325 compared with 27,310 for the corresponding week in 1955 and 32,429 in 1954.
Taking first the administrative sub-heads of the Vote, A to E: the increase of £6,105 in the salaries sub-head compared with 1955-56 represents mainly the cost of increases in Civil Service pay granted with the approval of the Dáil, with effect as from the 1st November, 1955. It includes, also, the normal increments which accrue as years go by, as well as increased salary scales for engineering inspectors. A number of these officers were formerly employed on a very temporary basis. In the last 12 months, they have been appointed as unestablished officers on increased scales. The annual increments for the staff and the increase in the salaries of the inspectorate establishment amounted to approximately £2,400.
Sub-head F (Urban Employment Schemes) is intended to finance employment schemes in the four county borough areas of Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford, the borough of Dún Laoghaire, and such of the 55 other urban districts in which there are sufficient numbers of unemployment assistance recipients to form gangs of economic size. These schemes are administered by the local authorities concerned, through the Department of Local Government, and grants are made conditional on the local authorities submitting suitable works schemes for approval by the Special Employment Schemes Office, and making a contribution towards their cost. The contribution in the Dublin County Borough area is 20 per cent. In the other county boroughs it averages about 17 per cent., and varies between 5 per cent. and 17 per cent. in the other urban areas, the average last year being about 14 per cent. There is a substantial volume of work already authorised for execution, and the commitments for works not yet carried out in urban areas amount to £264,000. The provision in the Vote for this service (£140,000) is the same as last year, and there is also available an unexpended balance of about £200,000 from previous years' National Development Fund grants.
In Dublin a sum of £175,000 was allocated for grants for new works last year. Schemes to absorb £163,397 were approved and the balance, £11,603, was provisionally earmarked to meet the cost of additional work proposed on the road through the Memorial Park, Islandbridge. The total cost of the schemes approved amounted to £204,248, which include road works costing £83,622 and amenity schemes, such as parks and playgrounds, costing £120,626 of which approximately £52,000 is for the construction of a promenade, etc., at Howth Harbour. These figures represent the gross cost of the schemes and include the contribution from the Dublin Corporation. Some of these works have not yet started and on the 1st April, 1956, there was a carry-forward of uncompleted schemes representing approximately £200,000, in State grants. The average number of men employed during the financial year ended 31st March, 1956, was 240, of whom 175 were unemployment assistance recipients. Each man gets 12 weeks' employment and, as the gangs rotate every three months, approximately 700 unemployment assistance recipients got a spell of employment in the year. The number of unemployment assistance recipients in the Dublin County Borough area fell from 4,964 in January, 1955, to 3,937 in January, 1956, and the figure on the 14th April, 1956, was about the same, being 3,989.
Employment schemes in rural areas under sub-heads G and H form a joint programme of works. Sub-head G grants are for works on county roads, towards which the county councils concerned contribute one-quarter of the cost. Minor employment schemes, sub-head H, are for works on accommodation and bog roads. These two schemes operate only in rural areas, in which there are substantial numbers of unemployment assistance recipients and are carried out in the winter period, November to March. The provision in the Vote for both sub-heads is the same as last year.
The provision under sub-head I, bog development schemes, is for the repair and reconstruction of roads and drains to facilitate the production of hand-won turf by landholders, and other persons, for their domestic needs or for sale in neighbouring towns. These are ordinarily full-cost grants and contributions are required only in the case of privately owned bogs, which are let annually to a substantial number of tenants and where the owner's income from such lettings is so high that it is only reasonable to expect him to give some assistance towards providing reasonable road and drainage facilities for his tenants. The cost of this service continues to be high. The expenditure in 1953-54 was £132,000 and it was £150,700 in 1954-55. One thousand and seventy-three new schemes, costing £150,000, were authorised last year. The actual expenditure in 1955-56 was £167,000, more than 25 per cent. in excess of 1953-54.
The rural improvements scheme (sub-head J) makes provision for grants towards the cost of carrying out works to benefit the lands of two or more farmers, such as small drainage schemes, bridges, and the construction or repair of accommodation roads to farmhouses, lands or bogs. It is a contributory scheme and applies to all parts of the country, irrespective of the unemployment position. State grants varying from 75 per cent. of the cost in the case of farmers with an average land valuation of £18 and over to 95 per cent. in the case of farmers with an average land valuation of below £6 are available, subject to the balance of the cost being met by the benefiting landholders. Where the work is of substantial benefit to the general "outside" public, in addition to the farmers directly concerned, the percentage of State grant, where circumstances warrant it, can be increased.
The Vote provision for the rural improvements scheme is the same as last year at £197,000. The gross provision, including National Development Fund grant, in 1955-56 was £264,000 and 931 new schemes, costing £263,986 were authorised for execution. The cost of this service has increased considerably in recent years. Including local contributions, the expenditure in 1951-52 was £173,210. It went up in 1952-53 to £218,278, to £233,662 in 1953-54 and to £222,600 in 1954-55. Last year, the expenditure reached the record figure of £288,000. These figures, as stated, are gross figures and include local contributions by farmers averaging from 11 per cent. to 12 per cent., which are credited to the Vote as Appropriations-in-Aid through sub-head L. Notwithstanding the expenditure of £288,000 last year, there is a carry-forward, as on the 1st April, 1956, of uncompleted schemes sanctioned before that date, amounting to £81,600. In addition, contributions had been lodged with the Special Employment Schemes Office before the 1st April, 1956, representing a further expenditure of £52,800, so that we are starting this financial year with a commitment of £134,400. Apart from the Vote provision of £197,000, there is an unspent balance of £38,740 available from previous years' National Development Fund grants to partly meet this commitment.
The provision for miscellaneous schemes (sub-head K) is the same as last year. It is mainly to meet expenditure on minor marine works, such as the extension and reconstruction of small piers and slips to facilitate the fishing industry and for the landing of seaweed and sand in the interests of local farmers. The county councils concerned are required to contribute one-quarter of the cost of these marine works and to maintain them on completion. The sub-head also finances archaeological excavations at Tara, Lough Gur, Lough Gara, and other centres.
The Appropriations-in-Aid (sub-head L) realised approximately £38,000 last year. The sub-head is made up almost entirely of the contributions in respect of the rural improvements scheme, which amounted to £34,000. It also includes receipts in respect of bog development schemes, county council contributions towards the cost of minor marine works, and receipts from the sale of surplus stores.
The gross Vote provision in the current year, as can be seen in the statement at page 51 of the Estimates Volume, is £731,200. The amount brought forward as unexpended National Development Fund grant from previous years is £248,400 so that there is a total of £979,600 available. Decisions have not yet been taken as regards the possibility of the money so available being supplemented from the National Development Fund, or any other source, and the Estimate is being put forward, therefore, for approval on the basis of the provisions herein stated.