I was referring to the various scales in connection with rural improvement schemes when progress was reported. Under the old scale, some 1,165 offers of grant were made during the year ended 31st March, 1961, but lodgments were made in only 655 cases—553 new schemes and 102 for supplementary or part grants. In the year ended 31st March, 1962, 1,297 offers were made and lodgments were made in 754 cases —657 new and 97 supplementary. In fact, lodgments arrived during March in excess of available funds, and about £22,340 has been sanctioned in April in respect of lodgments made in the preceding month. In announcing the new scale last year, my predecessor said that he had little doubt the full provision of £200,000 would be fully taken up and, as will be seen, his optimism has been fully justified. It is against that background that an increased provision of £225,000 has been made for this service in 1962-63.
Works of a better and more durable standard are done under the Rural Improvements Scheme than are possible under the Bog Development or Minor Employment Schemes, where, as already stated, in many instances the number of U.A. recipients limits the amount of money that can be made available. The average road grant under Minor Employment Schemes was £140, under Bog Development Schemes £120 and under the Rural Improvements Scheme £305. The average bog development drainage grant was £90, compared with £176 for the average Rural Improvements Scheme drain. I should emphasise that the Rural Improvements Scheme is not an employment scheme and, in fact, the payment of a contribution by the applicants does not constitute a claim to employment on the work, either as a ganger or otherwise. First preference in employment is given to U.A. recipients, the second preference to persons in receipt of unemployment benefit, and it is only when the claims of these two types of persons have been met that contributors, or members of their families, can be considered for employment on a Rural Improvements Scheme.
Coming to the current financial year, there were approximately 1,200 applications awaiting inspection under this scheme on the 1st April, 1962. In the first six months, some 945 proposals were inspected and some 800 offers have been issued to the representative of the applicants. Over 550 schemes were sanctioned, representing an expenditure of £125,500 out of the £225,000 available, so that all the indications are that the full amount available in the year will be expended. As stated in reply to Parliamentary Questions and in personal correspondence over recent months with most of the Deputies, the Special Employment Schemes Office have been short of a number of engineering inspectors for a considerable time and there has, therefore, necessarily, been some delay in overtaking the outstanding inspections. I hope to have all the vacancies filled in the near future, when it should be possible to overtake the arrears.
The provision for miscellaneous schemes was £15,000 in the last five years and this has been increased to £17,000 for 1962-63. The expenditure in 1959-60 was £14,514; in 1960-61 it was only £9,920 and in the year just past it increased to £16,074. This subhead is intended to meet expenditure on minor marine works, towards which county councils are required to contribute one-quarter of the cost, and which they are required to maintain on completion. It also finances archaeological excavations and other miscellaneous schemes. Last year, archaeological excavations were authorised in: Creewood, Co. Meath, £670; Tawnley Hall, Co. Louth, £240; Templekieran, Loughane, Co. Offaly, £300; Bealboru, Ballyvally, £850; and Raheenamadra, Knocklong, Co. Limerick, £350; as well as a small tidying up job in Tara, costing about £70. Usually about £2,500 is devoted to these archaeological excavations but this year over £7,000 has been allocated, including £800 for further work in Creewood, Slane, Co. Meath, £1,100 for Newgrange and £400 for Knowth, making a total of £2,300, and a special allocation of £5,000 has been made to finance a scheme at High Street, Dublin. Deputies interested in the latter scheme will have seen details of the work being undertaken there in recent articles in the Press: some of the activities have also been filmed.
Dealing with this miscellaneous subhead last year, it was explained that, owing to the existing commitments, there was little prospect of many new miscellaneous schemes being sanctioned. The new marine works approved last year totalled only £2,580, which included the improvement of landing facilities at Cassan Sound, St. John's Point, £350 and a winch at Inver, £60, both in County Donegal; a landing slip at Traagawla, Bere Island, £1,900 and a winch at Travara, £90, both in County Cork, as well as some small expenditure to complete works at Lahanebeg, County Cork, £150, and Ervallagh pier in County Galway, £35. In the current year, a number of further minor marine works have been sanctioned, including the improvement of landing places in Garahies, Bantry, £2,600; Illaun na gCaorach, Bere Island £540; Lahanebeg, Castletownbere, £1,610; Pallas Pier, Ardgroom, £1,500, all in County Cork; Portmagee, Caherciveen and the clearance of salmon fishing grounds in Dooagh, near Cromane in County Kerry, £800; Rathlacken, County Mayo, £260, and additional work at Cleggan Harbour, County Galway, £500. Included in the expenditure figure of £16,074 for last year is £2,000 for accommodation roads on islands, of which approximately £1,700 was expenditure in the summer on roads on Clare Island and Inishturk Island, off the coast of Mayo, the remaining £300 being for a road work on Bere Island, County Cork. Some island roads will also be included in the current year's programme.
The appropriations-in-aid subhead, which is made up almost entirely of the contributions under the Rural Improvements Scheme, amounted to £36,400 in 1961-62 compared with £34,464 in 1960-61. The Rural Improvements Scheme figures are £34,368 and £29,821 respectively. It also includes receipts in respect of development works on privately owned bogs, the contributions from county councils towards the cost of minor marine works and the sale of surplus stores. The figure in the estimate for 1962-63 is £41,000 compared with £35,000 in recent years, in view of the proposed increased provision for the Rural Improvements Scheme.
In addition to the works financed from Vote 10, the Special Employment Schemes Office also acts as an agent of the Minister for Transport and Power in respect of the carrying out of development works to facilitate the output of turf for the four hand-won turf-fired generating stations at Caherciveen, Co. Kerry, Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare, Screeb, Co. Galway and Gweedore, Co. Donegal. These schemes are financed from a National Development Fund allocation of £80,000 at the disposal of the Minister for Transport and Power. New works, costing £11,065, were approved last year.
The Special Employment Schemes Office also acts as agent for the Minister for the Gaeltacht in respect of the carrying out of accommodation road works in Gaeltacht areas financed from the Vote of that Department. New works costing £37,725 were authorised in 1961-62, of which £16,290 was in Galway, £10,100 in Donegal, £6,010 in Mayo, £2,950 in Kerry and £2,375 in Cork. The expenditure on these Gaeltacht schemes and on the works for the benefit of turf-fired generating stations will be accounted for by the Minister for the Gaeltacht and the Minister for Transport and Power respectively and not by the Special Employment Schemes Office. Applications for grants should be made in the first instance to the respective Departments also.
The expenditure statement which has been circulated shows that almost the full amount, 98.2 per cent., available last year has been expended. All Deputies would, no doubt, like to see more money provided for the different schemes operated by the Special Employment Schemes Office. Apart from the employment they give, these schemes, particularly in rural Ireland, are recognised for their contribution to agricultural and fuel production. The difficulty in finding additional funds is, however, the place in the queue which these schemes must necessarily take having regard to the various calls that are made on the public purse to improve conditions in urban and rural areas. Eradication of bovine tuberculosis, subsidisation of fertilisers, farm buildings, water schemes, arterial drainage, etc. are amongst the things which hitherto have had priority in the payment of allocations from the Exchequer. The funds we are expending on minor roads and drains in rural areas and on amenities in town areas make meanwhile some small contribution towards the improvement of conditions for our people.
I might say for the benefit of new Deputies that the Special Employment Schemes Office has no connection whatever with the Office of Public Works. It just happens that I am supposed to be responsible for this Vote and this Office.