asked the Minister for Local Government if he will give particulars of the following in respect of the Road Fund: (1) grants paid to each local authority in 1962-63, showing what portion of such grant was in recoupment of grants allocated and expended by the relevant local authority in 1961-62; (2) special grants paid to each local authority in 1962-63, with like information about carryover from the previous year; (3) the allocation of each local authority already notified for expenditure in 1963-64; (4) similar information for special grants allocations; (5) balance due to each local authority on the 1st April 1963 in respect of allocations the expenditure of which has been notified for grant recoupment; (6) the main items of administration included in Road Fund expenditure, and in particular the reason for the increase in payment for administration by 27 per cent.; (7) the payments that it is anticipated will be made to each local authority during the year 1963-64; and (8) the amount of the allocation made to each local authority which will remain unpaid to such authority on the 1st April 1964.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Road Fund Grants.
The information requested at (1) and (2) of the Deputy's question is being compiled by my Department. Perhaps, the Deputy would be good enough to repeat these two parts of his question in about three weeks.
In regard to (3), (4), (7) and (8) of the question, the Road Fund grants to be allocated in 1963-64 have not yet been notified to road authorities. Payments in 1963-64 on foot of the allocations for the year will depend on the progress of works and on the level of Road Fund income; the amounts of the payments which will be made to each authority cannot, therefore, be stated at this stage.
In regard to (5), information as to balances due at any particular date could not be determined until duly certified claims for payment, based on the final expenditure incurred on the various schemes carried out, had been submitted to examined and found to be in order by, my Department.
In regard to (6) the main items of administration etc. are (a) the expenses incurred by licensing authorities in the collection of motor taxation; (b) contribution to the expenses incurred by the Garda Síochána in the execution of the Roads Act, 1920, the Road Traffic Acts, 1933 and 1961, and the Finance (Excise Duties) (Vehicles) Acts, 1952 and 1960; (c) contribution towards local authority engineering salaries; (d) expenditure on road safety; (e) recoupment of salaries and expenses incurred by my Department in the administration of the Acts referred to at (b); (f) recoupment of refunds of licence duty made by licensing authorities. The principal reasons for the increase in estimated expenditure under this heading, as set out in Table 4 of the tables circulated by the Minister for Finance with his Budget statement of the 23rd instant, are (i) the recoupment of refunds referred to at (f) above to give effect to the reduction in the rate of tax on agricultural tractors from £8 to £2 10/- per annum which was authorised under Section 9 of the Finance Act, 1962; (ii) increased expenditure on road safety; (iii) increased expenditure on departmental services arising out of the implementation of the Road Traffic Act, 1961; (iv) increases in expenditure of the licensing authorities and of the Garda Síochána due to the increase in the volume of work in motor taxation offices and to increased duties of the Gardaí arising out of the Road Traffic Act, 1961.
Can the Minister give the reason why there is such a delay this year in letting the local authorities know what the grant from the Road Fund is to be? There has not been such a delay in the past 40 years.
That is a separate question.
It arises out of part (7) of the question on the Order Paper.
I have not any information which would permit me to answer that question.
May I ask the Minister to convey to his colleague, the Minister for Local Government, that there is a danger that some very necessary work will be held up if these grants are not notified within the next week and that quite a number of people may be thrown out of work?
It would appear that the allocation is dependent on the progress made in the works.
The Minister will appreciate that the local authorities cannot carry on with their works because they have not got any word about the grants for the coming year.
Is the Minister not aware that what Deputy McQuillan says is correct and that road workers will be laid off if notification of the grants is not sent out?