Vol. 219 No. 4
I move.
That is is expedient to authorise such payments out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas as are necessary to give effect to any Act of the present session to consolidate with amendments the enactments relating to diseases of animals and to provide for certain other matters relating to animals.
How much are you going to spend under this Resolution?
Enormous sums.
What are they?
I have no idea yet.
Surely the Minister must have some idea?
It all depends. As the Deputy knows, the main object of the Bill is to enable us to embark on a scheme of eradication of brucellosis and I cannot possibly at this stage estimate what the cost will be, but, as the Deputy knows, the eradication of bovine tuberculosis cost us over £30 million over a ten-year period and we hope that eradication of brucellosis will not be anything like as expensive as eradication of bovine tuberculosis was. In fact, we hope by the introduction of inoculation schemes in advance of eradication to minimise the disruption and the cost very considerably. At this stage I could not even hazard a guess.
Will the State stand the full expenditure in connection with the scheme for the eradication of brucellosis?
Yes.
