Tairgim:
Go ndeonófar suim fhorlíontach nach mó ná £3,835,000 chun íoctha an mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31ú lá de Mhárta, 1966, le haghaidh Tuarastail agus Costais Oifig an Aire Leasa Shóisialaigh, le haghaidh Seirbhísí áirithe atá faoi riaradh na hOifige sin, le haghaidh íocaíochtaí leis an gCiste Árachais Shóisialaigh, agus le haghaidh Ildeontas.
Séard is cúis leis on Meastachán Forlíontach seo ná go bhfuil suim bhreise de £3,835,000 ag teastáil le haghaidh seirbhísí mo Roinne-se don bhliain 1965-66. Baineann £159,000 de'n tsuim bhreise le costaisí riaracháin, £1,307,000 le h-Árachas Sóisialach agus £2,471,000 le Cúnamh Sóisialach.
Maidir le costaisí riaracháin, FoMhírchinn A go D, 'séard is mó is cúis leis an mbreis caiteachais ná árdaithe pá a deonadh i rith na bliana méadú ar chostaisí taistil agus méadú san íocaíocht do dhoctúirí i leith deimhnite breoiteachta.
I gcás Árachais Shóisialaigh, FoMhírcheann E, tá suim bhreise de £1,300,000 ag teastáil. Meastar go gcosnóidh na méadaithe i rátaí árachais ó thosach mí Eanáir seo chaite suim bhreise de £1,462,000 in aghaidh na bliana seo. In a theannta san tá méadú thar mar a measadh i líon na ndaoine atá i dteideal sochar áirithe, agus dá thoradh seo tá £239,000 sa bhreis ag teastáil. Nuair a chuirtear leis seo suim bhreise de £117,000 i leith costaisí riaracháin a bhaineas leis na seirbhísí árachais, 'sé iomlán an bhreis-chaiteachais ná £1,818,000. Táthar ag súil, ámh, le breis fáltaisí toisc gur árdaíodh na rátaí ranníoca ó thosach mí Eanáir, agus dá thoradh san sé £1,300,000 an tsuim bhreise atá de dhíth.
I gcás Cúnaimh Shóisialaigh, is eol do Theachtaí gur árdaíodh rátaí cúnaimh agus gur deineadh feabhsanna eile ins na scéimeanna le h-éifeacht ó thosach mí Lúnasa seo chaite. Meastar go gcosnóidh na forálacha sin suim bhreise de £2,340,000 sa bhliain 1965-66. Taobh amuigh de na h-athraithe reachtaithe sin, de réir claonadh an chaiteachais ar sheirbhísí áirithe, ní mór suim bhreise de £131,000 a lorg, agus mar sin 'sé £2,471,000 an t-iomlán atá ag teastáil. Baineann an chuid is mó de sin le pinsin seanaoise.
This Supplementary Estimate provides for increased expenditure in all three sections of the Social Welfare Vote for the current year. Under the head of Administration—Subheads A to D—£159,000 extra is required. Under Social Insurance—Subheads E and F—the additional sum sought is £1,307,000. For Social Assistance— Subheads G, I and J—the supplementary provision is £2,471,000. The gross total comes to £3,937,000, but, as there are surplus Appropriations in Aid, estimated at £102,000, the net additional requirement from the Exchequer is £3,835,000.
Of the £159,000 extra now sought for Administration Expenses, £116,000 arises on the Salaries subhead. This is required to meet the cost of pay revisions for certain grades which was not included in the original Estimate. The gross amount is £176,000 but this is offset by expected savings of £60,000 on the original provision of £1,632,000. Under Subhead B, an additional sum of £10,000 is required to meet higher expenditure on travelling expenses and subsistence. An adjustment of an underclaim by the Department of Posts and Telegraphs in the previous year is mainly responsible for an increase of £8,000 under Subhead C—Post Office Services. The extra provision of £25,000 under Subhead D—Insured Persons' Medical Certificates—is attributable to an increase in the capitation rate on which payment to medical certifiers is based.
The bulk of the additional expenditure under Social Insurance and Social Assistance arises from the increases in Benefit and Assistance rates and other improvements effected by the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1965. A part of it is, however, attributable to a rising trend in expenditure otherwise. The 1965 Act provided, amongst other things, increases under the Insurance scheme of 10/- weekly in all the principal rates of periodic benefit for both beneficiaries and their adult dependants. On the Assistance side, the Act provided for increases of 10/- or 5/- weekly, as appropriate, in the rates of non-contributory old age and widows' and orphans' pensions and 5/- in the rates of unemployment assistance for both applicants and adult dependants.
As regards social insurance, provision is made for increasing the Exchequer contribution to the Social Insurance Fund under Subhead E by £1,300,000 bringing the estimated total for the year to £11,018,000. As Deputies are aware, provision is made under this subhead for payment into the Social Insurance Fund of the amount by which the expenditure of the Fund exceeds its income in any year.
The revised expenditure of the Fund in the current year is now estimated at £27,790,000, an increase of £1,818,000 on the original provision. Revised income is now estimated at £16,760,000, an increase of £506,000 on the sum originally estimated.
The main increases in Fund expenditure are disability benefit £675,000, old age (contributory) pensions £270,000, unemployment benefit £358,000, widows' contributory pensions and orphans' contributory allowances £282,000 and Adminstration costs £117,000.
On the income side, the increase is almost entirely attributable to an expected rise of £500,000 in the yield from employment contributions, the rates of which were increased from the beginning of last January. In addition, the insurability limit for non-manual employment was increased from £800 to £1,200 with effect from 6th September, 1965. One effect of the later provision is to bring back into compulsory insurance many employees who had received pay increases which brought their remuneration over £800 a year.
As regards social assistance, the increased provisions are non-contributory old age pensions £1,780,000, unemployment assistance £461,000 and widows' and orphans' non-contributory pensions £230,000. In this connection, I should mention that the additional expenditure arising out of the 1965 Act already referred to includes provision for paying unemployment assistance to smallholders in certain specified areas through a modification in their case of the system of assessing means for unemployment assistance purposes. This modification took effect from 3rd January last.
In the case of the final subhead—L. Appropriations in Aid—the estimated increase of £102,000 in the current year falls under Subdivision 1—Receipt from the Social Insurance Fund under section 40 of the Social Welfare Act, 1952. This relates to administration costs incurred by my Department in connection with the social insurance scheme. The increase of £102,000 in estimated receipts from the Fund arises out of the recovery of the insurance portion of the additional expenditure of £159,000 required for the administration Subheads A to D.
I think I have covered the principal matters affecting this Supplementary Estimate. I shall be glad, however, to furnish any further information which Deputies may require.