I move:—
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £2,816,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1965, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Office of the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and of certain other Services administered by that Office, and for payment of a Grant-in-Aid.
This Supplementary Estimate is mainly required to meet increases in pay arising out of the ninth round settlement, and out of other settlements or awards under the Civil Service Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme and similar arrangements. Deputies may remember that I mentioned, when introducing the main Estimate, that it did not include any provision to meet these. Accordingly, £3,679,000 must now be provided under Subhead A, Salaries, Wages and Allowances. Of that sum, £3,420,000 is to meet the cost of increases in pay, including some £650,000 for retrospective payments relating to 1963/64. The remainder of the supplementary provision is largely for additional telephone operating and engineering staff to meet the needs of the telephone service.
On subhead B, Travelling and Incidental Expenses, the increase of £65,000, approximately, arises mainly from higher rates of travelling, subsistence and similar expenses. On Subhead J, Superannuation and Other Non-Effective payments, approximately £45,000 is being provided to meet increased payments arising from increases to officers retiring, et cetera, on higher rates of pay.
On Subhead K.1 £50,000 is being provided for an increased grant-in-aid to Radio Éireann to pass on, in effect, to the Authority revenue arising from an unexpected growth in the number of combined licences.
The gross increase of over £3.8 millions is offset by savings on other subheads of £450,000, approximately, and by increased appropriations-in-aid amounting to £570,000, approximately, arising mainly from larger recoveries from telephone capital and from other Government Departments for services rendered.
