move:—
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £45,000 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1959, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Offices of the Minister for Lands and of the Irish Land Commission (44 & 45 Vict., c. 49, sec. 46, and c. 71, sec. 4; 48 & 49 Vict., c. 73, secs. 17, 18 and 20; 54 & 55 Vict., c. 48; 3 Edw. 7, c. 37; 7 Edw. 7, c. 38 and c. 56; 9 Edw. 7, c. 42; Nos. 27 and 42 of 1923; No. 25 of 1925; No. 11 of 1926; No. 19 of 1927; No. 31 of 1929; No. 11 of 1931; Nos. 33 and 38 of 1933; No. 11 of 1934; No. 41 of 1936; No. 26 of 1939; No. 12 of 1946; No. 25 of 1949; No. 16 of 1950; No. 18 of 1953; and No. 21 of 1954).
The purpose of this Supplementary Estimate is to make available to the Land Commission in this financial year a further sum of £45,000 for expenditure on essential improvement works arising from land settlement operations. The total amount provided under sub-head I for improvement of estates etc. in this year's Vote for Lands is £605,105. The actual expenditure under this heading in the previous year 1957-58 was almost £624,000. In view of the slightly reduced amount provided, it was envisaged that improved arrangements and insistence on reasonable contributions of self-help from allottees would secure at least as much effective work as in the previous year.
Deputies will recall, however, that in July last when introducing the Estimate, I referred to my direction to the Land Commission to secure the early disposal of accumulated arable lands on hands. I stated then that if it became clear during the year that additional funds were desirable to facilitate the early disposal of these lands, I would have no hesitation in putting forward revised expenditure proposals. I had in mind at the time that the implementation of my direction would necessarily mean a considerable temporary expansion in land division. This expansion, I realised, would not be possible unless adequate funds were made available to finance the additional improvement works which would be necessary.
I am glad to be able to tell Deputies now that very good progress has indeed been made this year in disposing of this back-log of arable lands. Final figures for the year will not, of course, be available for some months yet but, even at this stage, it is clear that achievements in this regard will be most impressive and may constitute a post-war record. Also, I am gratified to find that the number of migrations will certainly be well in excess of those for many years past. This is a very satisfactory feature, since the lands vacated by these migrants are used to rearrange and enlarge the intermixed and rundale holdings in the congested districts.
I am told also that the number of holdings rearranged this year will show an upward trend. This is a promising development, as the Land Commission had found in recent years that rearrangement was generally becoming more difficult as the hard core of intermixed holdings was being reached. I regard the marked progress being made in these important spheres of Land Commission activities as most satisfactory and gratifying.
As all rural Deputies know, land settlement is costly, as it necessarily involves the provision of essential improvement works, such as the erection and reconstruction of buildings and the construction of roads, fences, drains, etc. Expansion of land settlement means more improvements and increased expenditure. That expansion has been achieved this year and derives primarily from the drive to dispose quickly of the accumulated arable land on hands. That expansion, allied to a general increase of some 5 per cent. in wage rates in the early months of 1958, is responsible for the additional expenditure this year which the voted provision for the year will be insufficient to meet in full.
Before dealing with the financial details, I think that Deputies would wish me to give some information in this matter of securing contributions of self-help from allottees, to which I have already referred. This was initiated in July last with the objective of securing the maximum land division from the limited amount of money available from the Exchequer. Allottees of parcels given as enlargements are now being required to make reasonable contributions, by way of labour and materials, towards essential improvement works. Though the procedure has only been in operation for some months, a recent survey has shown that significant savings in Exchequer spending can be secured. In the five initial months up to 31st December last, the savings secured in this way are equivalent to an annual figure of some £8,000. When this new procedure becomes fully operative, there are good grounds for hoping that even greater savings can be secured.
As stated earlier, the financial provision for the improvement of estates in the current year is £605,105. At the end of February, expenditure already incurred amounted to £584,000, leaving a balance of £21,105 available for expenditure for the present month up to the end of the financial year.
This month is the really vital one in the culmination of the year's activities of the Land Commission. Land division and the execution of improvement works, gathering momentum in the earlier months, reach peak level at this time. Expenditure in the final month is invariably heavier than average, due to the drive to complete works in progress, to facilitate the allotment of the estates concerned, in time for seasonal operations. Having regard to the monthly rate of expenditure to date and to the extent of works in progress, it is clear that the sum of £21,105 available for March is entirely inadequate. The additional sum of £45,000, which is now required, is the lowest amount, in the opinion of the Land Commission, which will permit the continuation and completion of operations in progress and the discharge of commitments incurred in earlier months and now falling in for payment. I am in a position to say that the £45,000 will be offset in full by savings elsewhere in the Departmental Vote group.
It is estimated that a total excess expenditure of £3,500 will be incurred in sub-head S, which provides the finance for payment of gratuities to persons displaced from employment by reason of the acquisition, etc. of lands by the Land Commission. This excess, however, will be fully offset by savings on other sub-heads. It is impossible to estimate accurately in advance the amount that would be required under this heading for a full year. Arising from the expanded land division programme this year, there has been a considerable increase in the number of ex-employees provided for, with a consequent marked rise in expenditure. Up to 28th February, expenditure already incurred amounted to £4,000 and it is anticipated that expenditure in the remaining weeks of the year will be £1,000, giving a total estimated expenditure of £5,000. This is £3,500 in excess of the voted provision of £1,500 for the year.
I am particularly pleased with the very satisfactory progress that is being made by the Land Commission this year in disposing of accumulated arable lands on hands. I feel sure that Deputies will wish to ensure that this progress is maintained. It is with confidence therefore that I seek their support for this Supplementary Estimate, which will supply the finance necessary to continue the work for the remaining weeks of the financial year.
