Vol. 214 No. 10
I move:
That a Supplementary sum not exceeding £720,000 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 Expenditure in respect of Public Buildings; for the maintenance of certain Parks and Public Works; for the Execution and Maintenance of Drainage and other Engineering Works; and for payment of certain Grants-in-Aid.
This Supplementary Estimate is for increased expenditure on Subheads A to F and I. 2 of the Vote for Public Works and Buildings. The total additional sum required, including provision for an expected deficit of £76,000 in receipts, is estimated at £764,100 but this is offset by expected savings on other subheads amounting to £44,100, leaving a nett amount of £720,000 to be provided. The largest single item is £500,000 extra for schools as we built quicker than anticipated. The original estimate was for £2.4 million and it appears we will spend £2.9 million.
Subhead A covers the purchase of sites and buildings. Expenditure on this service is always difficult to forecast accurately because of unexpected demands for accommodation and because premises often have to be bought at short notice. One of the items causing the excess this year was the purchase of an embassy residence in Washington. Until this year, the ambassador has been living in various rented premises. It was not possible to get long-term leases for any of these and frequent changes of residence were necessary; apart from the inevitable expense associated with such changes, rents were continuously increasing.
Property values in Washington have been spiralling and it was obvious that the most economic course in the long run would be to purchase a residence if a suitable premises at a reasonable price could be obtained. After a full survey of the market, we finally succeeded in finding such a premises this year and purchased it. It is a suitable building in a good location in the diplomatic centre of Washington and is, according to professional advice, very good value in comparison with present property prices in Washington.
Two other major items which helped to cause the excess on this subhead were the purchase of some properties in connection with the provision of the proposed Kennedy Memorial Concert and Assembly Hall and the purchase of a building at Merrion Square to be used as a new headquarters by the Irish Red Cross Society. Deputies will recall that I referred to this latter item this time last year and that the project was commented upon favourably; the payment did not mature until this year.
The increase in Subhead B (New Works) is once again due mainly to acceleration of the school building programme. In fact, as I stated at the outset, expenditure on schools this year is expected to reach £2.9 million as against £2.4 million provided. Deputies will regard this as very satisfactory. The target of 100 new schools in a 12 months' period has been reached; arrangements are in hands to proceed with building to the new modular system and I have great hopes of continued good output.
The prototype school to this system at Ballyboghill, North County Dublin, has been completed and is now occupied. The time taken in erection was about half that of a school on traditional lines. The experiment has been a success and everyone concerned is very pleased. The film with sound commentary showing some of the processes in the erection of this school has been shown to some managers, contractors and representatives of trade journals. Further showings will be arranged and if any Deputy would like to see it, I shall be glad to arrange it. Arrangements with a view to inviting tenders for some twenty new schools on this system are virtually completed. Building should start in June or July.
A falling-off in some other building works due to the recent strikes in Dublin has reduced the additional amount required for the subhead to £171,000.
Subheads C and D cover maintenance and furnishing of State premises. The excess expenditure on these subheads is due to increased costs generally and in particular to increased wages. Wages increases are also responsible for the additional expenditure on Subhead 12, in which provision is made for Arterial Drainage construction works.
The excesses on Subheads BB and F, covering Coast Protection works and the heating and lighting of State premises respectively, arise because some claims for payment for work done last year were not received in time to be paid before the beginning of the current year.
The total additional sum of £720,000 required includes, as I mentioned earlier, an expected deficit of £76,000 in receipts. This also is due, strange though it may appear, to the recent strikes in the building industry in Dublin. The Office of Public Works now recovers from the Department of Posts and Telegraphs the cost of works executed for that Department. This year, progress on some major works for the Department in Dublin was less than expected because of the strikes and consequently recoveries were proportionately reduced.
I trust that these few remarks will explain the need for the Supplementary Estimate. It will be seen that it is due to three main factors: purchases of properties which were not foreseen when the Estimate was framed, increased productivity on school building and increases in prices generally especially in wages.
If any Deputy would like more information on any point, I shall do my best to give it to him.
There are one or two matters on this Estimate on which I should like the Parliamentary Secretary to give some more information to the House. He has mentioned that part of the sum required is in connection with the purchase of an embassy residence in Washington. I think it would be right that the Parliamentary Secretary should give the House fuller details with regard to that. He has made out a case which on the face of it appears to be reasonable, that in the long run it is better business to purchase a residence than to have the present system whereby embassies are taken on a rented basis and changed from time to time.
The Parliamentary Secretary did not give the House the opportunity of judging whether or not the case he has made is a fair one. He has not told the House what the cost of the embassy building will be, nor has he told us what type of building it will be nor what the amenities in it are likely to be generally. The Parliamentary Secretary should be aware of the fact that, by and large, the question of purchasing embassy buildings abroad is one which the people of this country are inclined to view with a rather jaundiced eye. A rather colossal sum appears to be spent on embassies abroad and I think he is doing less than justice to himself in withholding the type of information which I am now suggesting he should give.
There is another matter on which I do not know whether the Parliamentary Secretary would be in a position to give information but, if he can, he should. I do not want to be misunderstood in my remarks with regard to this. It is in connection with the proposed Kennedy Memorial Concert and Assembly Hall. I think the Parlialiamentary Secretary should give the House, if he can, some figures as to what is involved, or is likely to be involved, in connection with this project. So far as I know, nothing in the nature of firm figures has yet been mentioned to the House. I suggest that that information should be given to the House.
With regard to school buildings, I think all sides of the House will agree with the Parliamentary Secretary that there is a great need for these and the quicker the job can be tackled the better. The Parliamentary Secretary seems to be quite confident that the new modular type of building will meet the demands for new school buildings. I am not sufficiently familiar with the new type of building to be able to assess that, and I would think it is a matter on which the Parliamentary Secretary should go into detail. He should let us know the comparative cost as between the new style and the traditional type of building, and the comparative accommodation as between the two types. However, I do agree with the Parliamentary Secretary that, even if it is a question of sacrificing some of the features which might have been valuable in school buildings, in the interests of speed, it may very well be worth making that sacrifice at present.
This is the kind of Estimate which, I think, is calculated to sooth tingling pre-election nerves. It is a pleasant Estimate to consider because it indicates progress in what one might very well describe as a moribund section of the Department of Finance until the advent of the present Parliamentary Secretary.
The fact is £500,000 has to be found, which we did not expect and which will be needed for the provision of schools. This is a very healthy sign. It shows that an effort is being made to shake off the shackles of Civil Service bureaucracy which, in my view, has held up progress in school buildings for many years and, indeed, in every Government activity in this country. We are glad that more money is to be made available for schools. Even if the rate of progress were doubled, it still would not be satisfactory in so far as school provision is concerned in the fuller sense. All of us, particularly those who have the responsibility of representation, either partially or wholly, for rural areas, are aware of the very bad condition of many of the schools throughout our constituencies.
The schools in some parts of the country are really remnants of the famine or pre-famine times. They are completely unsuitable in many cases. They are dangerous to health, largely rat-infested and with absolutely no provision whatsoever as regards sanitation. Large numbers of children are compelled to inhabit these buildings during their tender years. They are in overcrowded conditions and dangers exist for teachers and pupils alike. I can think of a number of places in County Dublin where people are very angry, not alone with the Government but with everyone in public life because of the inadequate progress made in the provision of schools.
There is one place which comes to mind, known as the Bog of Ring near Balbriggan. The parents there have become very angry because of the delay in the provision of schools. They have threatened action, which is undesirable, and I would ask the Parliamentary Secretary to bend his considerable energies to the solution of the problem for the people in that part of County Dublin.
Deputy M.J. O'Higgins mentioned the proposals to provide a concert and assembly hall in Dublin to commemorate our great fellow countryman— the late President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Undoubtedly, the question of cost is of some consideration but it is not a major consideration nor do I believe Irish people would consider it a major consideration in so far as the provision of a suitable memorial to this great man is concerned. Very shortly a decision will be made in this connection and this city will have a building, when the construction of the memorial hall is concluded, of which it may well be proud. Quite apart from the fact that it will commemorate the memory of the late John Fitzgerald Kennedy it will be well in the forefront of architectural advance from a world viewpoint. It is in the hands, as we know, of one of the best qualified and efficient architects in Europe—Mr. McGrath.
There is not very much one can discuss on the Supplementary Estimate because it affords little scope for contention. It is something of a sedative on a day such as this. I should like to congratulate the Parliamentary Secretary on his unfailing courtesy, his work in relation to the production of the Supplementary Estimate and also on the work of his Department.
With regard to the matter of schools and the amount provided, I should like, together with the previous speaker, to bring to mind the long delay in having some of the schools completed in many of our constituencies. Sometimes you will find the contractor goes away from the building for four or five months and leaves the school half finished. That should not be allowed to continue.
We are glad to see that the Parliamentary Secretary is providing more money for schools and that he has taken action to try to remedy the position in regard to the old schools in the country. I hope he will take action in relation to the man who starts a school and goes away from it for four or five months. Only a month ago another contractor left a site. I had to bring the matter to the notice of the Parliamentary Secretary. You cannot blame parents if they will not send their children to school. The local Deputies and the Government are blamed for this.
Since he assumed office the Parliamentary Secretary has been very effective in getting schools started, at least in my constituency.
This is the quickest £700,000 that ever went through the Dáil.
It is not gone through yet.
It is spent. I would like to thank Deputies M.J. O'Higgins, S. Dunne and J. Fanning for their kind remarks. As they said, we are all agreed that this expenditure on schools is highly necessary. When people talk about the restoration of the language, I have always felt that one of the basic things——
That is a dangerous subject.
——is to restore the schools in which the language will be taught. It has been said that some hundreds of our schools in Ireland at present are nothing but hovels. Some thousands of them, indeed, have bad sanitary accommodation and many of them have no water. We are facing up to the problem and I must say the Office of Public Works is fortunate to have the school section under the jurisdiction of Mr. Boyd Barrett, who is tackling the problem, as can be seen here from the figures, in such an expeditious manner.
Deputy M.J. O'Higgins requested some information with regard to the cost of the new modular schools. We estimate that a minimum saving on this type will be in the order of about ten per cent. It is said that when bulk tendering is entered into, which we hope will be next June or July, when 20 to 25 can be built under one contract, the saving will be greater. The great attraction of this type of modern system is the saving in time. The prototype school, which we erected at Ballyboghill, was built in half the time it takes to erect the ordinary school. There is a big task still before us and we are very conscious of that.
Deputy M.J. O'Higgins asked me for some idea of expenditure on these schools. In 1953 we were spending £688,000 on our schools. Today our expenditure is nearly £3 million, which is quite good progress.
Deputy M.J. O'Higgins also asked me for some information with regard to the new embassy building purchased recently. The cost was £102,000. Before it was decided to purchase the premises at 2244 S Street in Washington as a residence for our Ambassador, Mr. Raymond McGrath, the principal architect of the Office of Public Works visited Washington and inspected premises that were suggested as being suitable. There was one premises at 2510 Foxhall Road. I shall not go through all the addresses. There was one at 2329 California Street, valued at £140,000, and one at 2220 Massachusetts Avenue, valued at £102,000, and eventually we purchased the premises at 2244 S Street for £102,000. Our advice was that it was the most suitable. That might seem to be a lot of money, but I think we did a good business deal, in view of the very high rent we had been paying down through the years for accommodation. We must also bear in mind that nowadays it costs £50,000 to buy a building in Merrion Square in Dublin.
Further to substantiate my statement that it was better to buy this premises rather than to continue to rent premises, I have a few particulars for the House. A house known as Westover at 4300 Massachusetts Avenue in Washington was in use as a residence for our Ambassador to the United States until 1962. A lease of the premises for two years was initially taken at a monthly rent of 700 dollars, that is, 8,400 dollars per annum. The lease was renewed for periods of three years up to 31st December, 1961. When a further renewal was sought, agreement could not be reached with the landlords on terms. The premises were vacated by the Ambassador on 15th May, 1962. The house at 2426 Tracey Place, Washington, was taken on a lease for two years from 15th May, 1962, at a rent of 9,000 dollars per annum.
The premises known as Renchard House at 1743 22nd Street, Washington, were taken on a lease for a period of one year from 15th March, 1964. The rent is 12,960 dollars per annum. It is intended to remain in occupancy of this accommodation until the new residence at S Street, recently purchased, is ready for occupation. So, I think this is a good buy, and our technical advisers say the premises are structurally sound. I think everyone will be satisfied this is a wise move, in view of the continued increase in property values everywhere, and particularly in Washington.
Deputy M.J. O'Higgins also asked me for information about the property acquired for the Kennedy Memorial Hall at Haddington Road. As Deputy Dunne pointed out, an all-Party committee—a very hard working and cooperative committee—have had many meetings dealing with this project in memory of the late President Kennedy. It was decided that it should be located in Haddington Road, and it was necessary to purchase property which was not in State care to enable this conception to be one of the outstanding architectural features of this age in Ireland.
Were those the houses at Northumberland Road?
We bought Nos. 30, 32, 34, 36, 42 and 44 Northumberland Road, and the average price was about £14,500. We also bought Ryan's property in Haddington Road at public auction.
A public house.
Yes, the house, a public house, and the licence, cost £34,000. Of course the licence would be worth £6,000 or £7,000.
Deputy Fanning raised the question of delays by contractors, and he said that schools which should have been finished seven or eight months ago were still under construction, and that the parents were blaming the Government and Deputies of all Parties. Unfortunately those complaints are true, and I am sorry to say they are not unique to North Tipperary. That is no consolation to Deputy Fanning, of course.
One of the main causes of the delay was that some of the builders took on more work than they were able to do. Other builders having taken on work found they could not get enough skilled men, but the main reason was that the contractors were taking on too much. Down through the years, the contractors gave a tremendous service to the Office of Public Works in this school building programme. We will have to curtail their activities in the future, and instead of allowing them to take on five or six contracts at one time, we will have to ensure that they do at most two schools in one year. Deputy Fanning has been in touch with me on several occasions in regard to the problem in North Tipperary, and he is aware that it has not been solved yet. He informed me that the progress of the contractor for the Lackamore school is most unsatisfactory, and I have asked the Commissioners to take the necessary action.
I think I have covered all the points raised, and I should like to thank Deputies for the manner in which they have received this Supplementary Estimate.
I regret very much that I was delayed and I would ask you, Sir, to allow me just two minutes to mention a matter in relation to the Vote which has just been put. This is a most important thing.
I shall allow the Deputy to raise the matter by way of question on the Estimate.
Has the Parliamentary Secretary mentioned anything about scheduling the Rice Chapel in Waterford as a national monument?
I was not allowed to do so. I should be out of order if I did because it does not arise on this Supplementary Estimate. This is not the main Estimate.
It will arise on the main Estimate?
Yes, it will.
I am very grateful to you, Sir.
