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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 25 Oct 1956

Vol. 160 No. 2

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Savings in State Expenditure.

Major de Valera

asked the Minister for Finance if, with reference to his Budget statement and his statement in Dáil Éireann on 25th July last that in this financial year he proposes to make savings amounting to a total of £8,000,000 in State expenditure, he will state, in respect of each Government Department, the nature and extent of the savings so far made, or expected to be made during the remainder of the present financial year.

The Government has been, and is, actively engaged in a complete review of public expenditure so as to achieve the maximum economies possible. The process is a continuing one, the results of which cannot be known with certainty until the final figures become available at the end of the financial year. The detail as at present known is necessarily tentative and its disclosure at this stage would not be helpful and indeed might tend to increase the difficulties of the task.

Major de Valera

Since the Minister will not give the information sought, will the Minister say whether, in fact, or not, definite economies in the region of the sum specified by the Minister in his statement have been or will be made in the current year?

Definite economies have been made and will be made. I do not propose to depart from the reply and make an estimate for the Deputy at this stage.

Major de Valera

I do not wish to tax the Minister's voice and I appreciate his answering me so far, but, unfortunately, he has side-stepped one important element in my supplementary question, namely, "in the region of the sum specified by the Minister in his statement". Will the economies which have been made and which will be made be in the region of the sum specified by the Minister—it totals £8,000,000—on the 25th July last?

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the question which, I may add, was framed on an exactly similar reply made to a similar question by Deputy MacEntee when he was Minister for Finance.

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