I am sure they will be along in a moment.
Recruits in the new sub-professional grade of field officers referred to last year are now available and will be taking up duty very soon. The infusion into the Land Commission field force of these officers will relieve inspectors of a variety of routine duties enabling them to devote their energies to the more difficult aspects of the land reform programme.
The amount in subhead B.1 is £105,900. The first part of subhead B relates for the most part to travelling and subsistence expenses incurred in connection with the inspection, survey and allotment of lands under the Land Acts. The extra amount, viz. £13,900, this year is required for the most part to meet the travelling and subsistence expenses of an increased number of staff engaged on outdoor inspection work and to meet authorised increases in these expenses.
Part (2) of subhead B provides for payment direct to the Department of Posts and Telegraphs for all services rendered by that Department; this has now become standard procedure. The total amount required this year is £65,800.
The amount provided under subhead D is £1,234,100. The moneys required are in the nature of statutory commitments. They represent the taxpayers' contribution in the current year towards the service of land purchase debt accumulated, since 1923, on both tenanted and untenanted land. The total contribution this year, viz. £1,234,100 constitutes the biggest individual item in the Vote and represents nearly one-third of the entire net Estimate. Of the total subhead provision, some £1,072,000 will be utilised to make good deficiencies in the Land Bond Fund arising from the statutory halving of annuities under the Land Act, 1933. Indeed, the overall increase of £31,200 in the subhead this year is attributable mainly to the halving of purchase instalments payable by new allottees as land settlement proceeds. All allottees in congested areas, together with migrants and displaced employees getting holdings in non-congested areas, get the benefit of the halving of annuities.
As subhead G.1 is in four separate parts, I think I can best deal with it by referring to each part individually. The subhead involves two items, viz., the purchase of land by the Land Commission for cash in the open market and the provision of life annuities under section 6 of the Land Act, 1965. Up to 1965, cash purchases under section 27, Land Act, 1950, were restricted to lands required for migrants' holdings or for rearrangement of fragmented holdings. As Deputies are aware, however, these limitations were set aside by the repeals section of the Land Act, 1965, and purchases for cash are now open to all the general purposes of the Land Acts. During the year ended 31st March last, a total of 168 properties, aggregating 6,748 acres, were purchased for cash under section 27 at a price of £468,328. In order to cater for a substantial expansion in the volume of purchase for cash, particularly in the case of smaller estates and also in order that the scheme for life annuities shall make worthwhile progress, provision for subhead G.1 is being increased this year to a record figure of £600,000.
Section 6 of the Land Act, 1965, provides basic authority for the scheme of life annuities for elderly, incapacitated or blind persons who voluntarily sell their interest in land to the Land Commision. This scheme and the scheme for self-migration loans, to which I shall be referring later on, were brought into operation early in 1967. The objective of the life annuity scheme is to facilitate land structure reform by encouraging elderly, incapacitated or blind farmers to retire so that their lands become available for active farming by younger able-bodied persons. This scheme is having moderate success and I can say that we now have 22 persons on the life annuity payroll following the sale of their lands to the Land Commission. Most of these people availed themselves of the very attractive feature of the scheme whereby the vendor may, if he so wishes, retain a right of residence for life in his existing dwelling-house. As this scheme, which is entirely voluntary, is designed, in the main, for elderly people, progress is necessarily slow but the results to date are by no means unsatisfactory. I would hope that, as the number of life annuitants grows, they themselves will provide the best stimulus of all to others to participate in the scheme.
For the information of the House, the overall position in relation to the scheme to a recent date is as follows:—
A total of 375 firm applications have been received under the scheme and, of these, 349 have been investigated. Some 159 applications had to be eliminated at an early stage, mainly because the lands offered were not considered suitable or required for Land Commission purposes, and a further 71 were withdrawn, the owners preferring to offer their lands to the Land Commission in the ordinary way for cash or land bonds. In all, 119 applications developed into potential life annuity cases and advanced to the stage where price negotiations with the landowners concerned were authorised.
Price agreement has, in fact, been reached with 35 landowners and, as already stated, life annuities have actually been set up in 22 cases. In all other cases, the necessary legal requirements as regards title, etc., with a view to setting up life annuities for the landowners concerned, are proceeding. In the remaining two cases, the Land Commission are awaiting a decision by the vendors as to whether or not they will opt for a life annuity in lieu of all or part of the agreed purchase price.
The cases already completed have released about 1,000 acres for land settlement purposes and it is expected that a further area of some 600 acres will be made available when the other 13 cases mentioned are finalised.
The second part of subhead G stems from section 5 of the Land Act, 1965, in which resides authority for the scheme enabling the Land Commission to make loans to progressive farmers in congested areas for the purchase of viable farms of their choice, subject to making their existing lands available to the Land Commission for land settlement purposes. This in fact is really a banking or credit service, with an overall limit of £10,000 including the price paid for the owner's old holding; it is intended to augment existing land settlement schemes and is, of course, additional to and again is not in substitution for the traditional migration programme carried out by the Land Commission. The primary objective of the scheme is to facilitate the Land Commission programme of land structure reform in the scheduled congested areas, as defined in the 1965 Act—Counties Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo and parts of Clare and West Cork. The scheme is intended to encourage initiative by providing necessary capital, through the Land Commission, to enable progressive small-holders in the scheduled congested areas to improve their status by purchase in the open market of viable farms suitable to individual requirements, subject to making their existing lands available to the Land Commission as part of the loan arrangements.
Under the scheme, a total of 143 applications has been received to a recent date. Of these, 127 have been investigated and, perhaps not surprisingly, a high proportion failed at an early stage—chiefly because either the applicants and/or their lands were considered unsuitable for the purposes of the scheme. In all, 54 applications progressed to the price negotiation stage and, in 14 of these cases, agreement on price has, in fact, been reached.
This is a vital stage in the procedure as price agreement is an essential prerequisite to acceptance of an applicant and to making him an advance under the scheme. It is only when agreement on price has been reached with a landowner that he knows the extent of financial assistance which he may expect from the Land Commission, thus enabling him to shop around for a suitable new farm on the basis of what he will receive for his own holding and the amount of loan available to him.
Of the 14 cases in which price agreement was reached, seven have been provided with self migration advances and have now gone into possession of their new holdings; in one other case, the necessary legal formalities are being completed and in the remaining six cases the Land Commission are awaiting proposals from the approved applicants regarding the new farms selected by them and the amount of loan they will require.
The seven completed cases—for which advances and free grants totalling approximately £29,000 were made by the Land Commission—have provided an area of 300 acres for land settlement. The holdings purchased by these seven successful applicants contain, in aggregate, 840 acres. The other seven cases involve the Land Commission in a potential maximum commitment of some £37,000 by way of advances and free grants and, if these transactions can be successfully concluded, they will release a further aggregate area of about 390 acres for the land reform programme.
The results from this scheme to date are, I am afraid, rather disappointing, even allowing for the fact that the scheme is restricted to landowners in the scheduled congested areas and that approved applicants are allowed a period of 12 months in which to shop around for new holdings. I am having another look at the scheme to see whether anything can be done to increase its attractiveness.
Informal booklets have been prepared for the guidance of landowners interested in the schemes and any Deputy who wishes can obtain copies by getting in touch with the Land Commission.
Subhead G.3 provides £10,000 for payment in cash of compensation for tenancy interests resumed on the small outstanding residue of Congested Districts Board estates. The fourth and final part of the subhead relates to the payment by the Land Commission of auctioneers' commission on relevant purchases of Land for cash and land bonds. It is anticipated that £80,000 will be required this year. Perhaps I should explain here that up to 1963 the practice was to pay auctioneers' commission only in respect of lands purchased by the Land Commission for cash under section 27 of the Land Act, 1950. This was extended in 1963 to properties purchased on a voluntary basis for land bonds. The extension of payment of commission on the lines indicated has proved a decided incentive to auctioneers to offer lands on their books to the Land Commission thus facilitating an acceleration in land acquisition for the relief of congestion. My own preference is for voluntary rather than compulsory transactions and I freely acknowledge the co-operation and assistance of auctioneers in this matter.
Subhead H provides the funds for payment of gratuities pursuant to section 29 of the Land Act, 1950, to persons displaced from employment on estates taken over by the Land Commission for distribution. Last year, gratuities totalling £4,670 were paid to 19 ex-employees, an average of £245 each. Perhaps I should emphasise that displaced employees who are deemed competent to work land are automatically considered for allotments—indeed, this is only right and proper—but, where they are not found to be suitable for allotments, they are considered by the Land Commission for a cash gratuity, depending on such factors as length of service, personal and family circumstances, availability of alternative employment and so on. It is difficult to make an accurate forecast of commitments under the subhead in any particular year because this depends on the level of acquisition activity and the extent to which estate workers become displaced from employment through these activities. Last year's figure of £15,000 is being repeated for the current year.
Subhead I provides, in the main, the funds required to meet the cost of the various estate improvement works which are such an important feature of land settlement. These works include the erection of dwellinghouses and out-offices; the provision of access roads; fencing and drainage; the provision of water supply for domestic and stock requirements; turbary development; the repair and maintenance of embankments. These are all costly amenities and expenditure for last year totalled £865,500 including £518,600 on building works. Some 410 men were employed on the various improvement works and their wage bill amounted to almost £239,000.
For the current financial year the amount proposed under the subhead is £1,050,000 which represents an increase of £60,000 over last year's provision and amounts to about 25 per cent of the entire Estimate. This increased provision will, I feel sure, be welcomed by Deputies, particularly those from rural areas, having regard to the importance of estate improvement and development works.
Last year reference was made to an important new development being undertaken by the Land Commission in relation to lands earmarked for migrants and intended for distribution to tenants whose holdings are being rearranged. All such lands are now being rehabilitated prior to allotment, the rehabilitation consisting of lime and fertiliser application. In addition, the Land Commission are also doing the preliminary (reclamation) work on these lands such as drainage, removal of scrub, eradication of rushes and so on. The aim is to give these allottees the best possible start on their holdings. The major portion of the cost involved is being borne direct by the Land Commission, a small proportion being charged to the allottee by means of an addition to his annuity.
The question of improving designs for houses and out-offices being built by the Land Commission continues to receive full consideration. As Deputies are, no doubt, aware, dwellinghouses provided by the Land Commission are fully serviced as to water supply and electricity, where practicable. The design and construction of these houses have recently been revised and many progressive features have been added to fit in with modern needs and trends. Improvements include greatly increased storage space and a utility room which can be used as a fourth bedroom to provide extra accommodation as the family expands.
Modern out-offices now being erected by the Land Commission represent a considerable advance in quality and layout and reflect the most up-to-date thinking on farm accommodation. These provide a good basic set of out-buildings which can be readily adapted for expansion and development if the allottee chooses.
In addition, yard areas have also been increased and black-topping of yards, approach roads and access roads is now being undertaken as a standard feature of improvement works associated with the provision of buildings on new holdings.
The sub-item entitled "Housing Loans" refers to the scheme under which advances up to £500 are made to farmers to supplement grants from the Department of Local Government for the erection of new houses and for reconstruction work on existing houses. During the past year the total amount paid out by way of loans for this purpose was £52,000 to some 120 applicants. The provision for the current year is £70,000.
The application of work study techniques to the estate improvement works of the Land Commission continues. The work study section of the management services unit, through method improvements and the incentive bonus scheme, contributed to maintaining a very high level of productivity on outdoor works. The amount set aside under subhead L for game and wildlife development, £100,000, is an increase of £5,000 on the sum provided last year.
Grants for the preservation and improvement of game resources will continue to be available to assist regional game councils, representative of all appropriate interests, in carrying out approved locally organised schemes of direct improvement of game stocks and habitat. There are now 26 regional game councils active in the country.
During the past year the sum of £48,587 was paid out in respect of 25 schemes of game improvement and a further £1,335 was paid in respect of some previous years' schemes.
Under the guidance of the Department's game advisers, the regional game councils made satisfactory progress during the year, especially in the important work of habitat improvement and the provision of sanctuaries for native and migratory wildfowl. A simplified method of disbursing grants was applied, with success, to some councils during the 1968-69 season and it is hoped to extend the application of the system to other councils in 1969-70.
In addition my Department has commissioned An Foras Talúntais to carry out research on two important features of game development—the rehabilitation of mallard and grouse stocks. Grants totalling £10,440 were paid in the past year. This research is necessarily a long-term project but it is already showing promising results.
The development of the tourism aspect of game-shooting proceeded satisfactorily in the past year and the joint committee of my Department and of Bord Fáilte has sponsored a number of shoots throughout the country to meet the demands of out-of-State visitors.
Conservation of our heritage of wildlife is coming in for increasing and deserved attention on the part of the State and of the community at large. My Department is going steadily ahead with measures for the preservation of habitats of wildlife, in particular of wetland areas vital for our native and migratory wildfowl. The preparation of legislation for the conservation and management of wildlife on modern principles is in hands.
In the context of European Conservation Year, 1970, about which I will speak later, the Department has commissioned the making of a film on the theme of nature and wildlife in Ireland by an Irish artist of international standing. The film will reflect the understanding and feeling for nature and wildlife which feature so largely in our heritage of saga, poetry and folklore.
I have dealt in some detail with the more important subheads of the Lands Vote. As the remaining items are either unchanged from last year or else are token provisions, they do not seem to call for specific comment, but if Deputies wish to obtain further information about them I shall, of course, gladly supply it. I propose therefore to continue by reviewing the principal activities of the Land Commission during the year ended 31st March last. In some instances the statistics are still provisional but they are unlikely to vary to any significant extent from the final returns. The overall results are quite satisfactory.
On the acquisition side, the aggregate area inspected during the year was 60,000 acres while the total intake of land amounted to about 33,000 acres. As the total area in the acquisition machine at 31st March, 1969, amounted to some 83,000 acres, acquisition prospects for the current year are good.
As regards land settlement for the year the total area allotted amongst some 1,582 allottees was in the region of 30,700 acres. The acreage distributed included the provision of 55 fully-equipped holdings for migrants and the rearrangement of 348 fragmented holdings. In all 125 new dwellinghouses and 118 new out-offices were provided for tenants and allottees during the year. With the increased funds which are now being made available I am hopeful that an accelerated rate of land division can be achieved in the present year.
The vesting of holdings and allotments was continued and, in all, about 2,600 holdings, parcels and rights of turbary were dealt with. Tenanted land—including residues of CDB estates—outstanding for vesting at 31 March, 1969, comprises approximately 5,700 holdings. These residual holdings, situated for the most part in western congested counties, now represent the remaining hard core of difficult tenanted land cases: they are being released for vesting according as the necessary rearrangement, enlargement or other improvement is carried out.
The position as regards collection of land annuities continues satisfactory. Out of a collectable total of £2,772,120 for the year, the amount actually collected by 31 March, 1969, was £2,650,352.
When replying to the debate on last year's Estimate my predecessor referred to the fact that he was examining how we can strengthen the economy of the small farmer by encouraging more co-operation. For some time past the idea of a system of group farming has been under consideration and study in my Department. Group farming can range from a simple arrangement for the joint purchase of materials, such as time or fertilisers, to a more integrated system involving the pooling of land, labour, equipment and resources. The experiment in group farming which has been initiated will involve the pooling of all resources of the group, including the land itself. The participants will form themselves into a company and the land as well as the livestock, machinery etc. will be owned and managed by the company. The envisaged arrangement is entirely voluntary.
Experience elsewhere indicates that group farming is not devoid of inherent problems and careful appraisal of the advantage to be gained is necessary before embarking on the system on a wide scale. I am satisfied, however, that the potentialities and possibilities of promoting this type of farming project can be rewarding. Should it prove to be so, I am hopeful that a new dimension can be added to the scope of Land Commission activities and that group farming will prove a useful means of raising farm income and rural living standards, particularly in areas of small-scale farming.
As Deputies know there is now in operation a system of direct control by the Land Commission over the purchase of rural land by persons who are not "qualified persons" as defined in section 45 of the Land Act, 1965— principally non-nationals. The position generally now is that no interest in non-urban land can vest in a person who does not come within the categories of "qualified person" as defined in section 45 (1) of the Act except with the written consent of the Land Commission. In general permission is not granted to non-nationals to purchase land in order to engage simply in those forms or lines of production commonly practised by our farmers; "white-elephant" properties unable or unlikely to attract Irish purchasers in the market could be entertained for sale to outsiders. A non-national who could illustrate that he was going in for some special line with expertise and capital to back it up, and with export possibilities, could very well be acceptable. During the past year—apart from what might be called unobjectionable transactions, that is to say those (a) arising solely from mortgage interests, (b) involving areas not exceeding five acres and (c) representing transfers between one non-citizen, individual or company, and another—the total acreage in respect of which the consent of the Land Commission, pursuant to section 45 of the Act, was given to the vesting of interests in land in non-qualified persons as individuals or companies controlled by non-citizens was 4,767 acres. A substantial proportion of the acreage involved consisted of the types of property which could hold no attraction for the ordinary Irish purchaser. The corresponding area for the previous year was 4,500 acres.
The improvement of farm structure in western areas commands a key position in the Land Commission order of priorities. The structural reform of sub-standard holdings coupled with the elimination of fragmentation and rundale is a prerequisite to the development of any purposeful agricultural programme in the west.
The overall ambition of land policy is to establish sound and worthwhile agricultural units, satisfying to the owner, in which productivity can be raised and which in turn will yield their quota in the campaign for competitive export of farming produce.
Turning to the Forestry Vote there is a net increase of £403,000 in the amount being provided for 1969-70 compared with that provided for 1968-69.
The Estimate as framed provides for a full planting programme of 25,000 acres. There was uncertainty when the Estimate was being framed as to whether this target could be achieved. It is now clear that we cannot reach that figure and this year's programme will be of the order of 22,000 to 23,000 acres. The difficulty continues to be the inadequacy of our plantable reserve and, while the tide appears to be turning, as will be seen when I deal later with subhead C.1, it now seems probable that we will not be able to get back to the full 25,000 acre programme until 1971-72.
I would like to draw the attention of Deputies to a new head of subhead C.2 —Forest Development and Management—entitled Amenity Development. It is subhead C.2 (4) for which £75,000 is being provided in the current year. We have become increasingly conscious of the fact that in the process of developing State forestry as a form of commercial investment, we have developed at the same time a priceless amenity asset. State forests are attractive and as they mature they increasingly attract both local residents and tourists. In recent years we have been actively seeking, in consultation with Bord Fáilte and county councils, to foster this by opening suitable State forests to an increasing extent for public use.
Deputies will, of course, be aware of the existence of Gougane Barra Forest Park, of the John F. Kennedy Park, County Wexford, of substantial public facilities at Glengarriff and of the major Forest Park construction in progress at Lough Key near Boyle, County Roscommon. They may not be so well aware that scattered throughout the country are many other forest areas in which facilities are being developed to enable the public to enjoy their amenities to a greater extent. For the most part these have been provided as part of the normal forest programme. Roads are necessary for all forest traffic; it costs no more to let people walk on them. What is necessary is the addition of footpaths, picnic facilities, access to particular viewpoints and so forth. The multiple use concept of the forest is now well established and it can be realised without interference with the main object of the forest undertaking which is the production of commercial timber. I foresee a steadily growing emphasis on the use of State forests for recreation, conservation and amenity purposes and the provision of £75,000 under this new head gives formal recognition to the development work required to provide for these activities.
Turning to the detail of the Estimate, there are no significant changes in subheads C.3, D or F. So far as the remaining subheads are concerned the following is the position.
Salaries, wages and allowances— subhead A—at £1,099,990 shows an increase of £64,990 over the provision for 1968-69. The increased provision covers the normal growth of the inspectorate and forester staff in line with the expansion of the State forests and some strengthening of the administrative and engineering staff. It also includes provision for expenditure arising from the 11th round of pay increases.
Travelling, and incidental expenses— subhead B.1—at £227,700 shows an increase of £26,700 over the 1968-69 provision because of increased travelling arising from the continued expansion of the State forest area and provision for some increase in travel costs and miscellaneous expenses.
Post office services—Subhead B.2— at £66,600 shows an increase of £15,000 over the 1968-69 Estimate arising from the increased cost of postage and handling of stores and the extension of forest telephone services.
Subhead C.1 is the grant-in-aid for the acquisition of land. The balance in the fund on 1st April, 1968, was almost £262,000; with a new provision of £175,000, a total of £437,000 was available for purchase of land in 1969-70.
Expenditure in 1968-69 was £123,261 in respect of a productive area of 12,231 acres acquired in 288 transactions. This was completely inadequate against a planting target of 25,000 acres per annum. The nominal plantable reserve now stands at about 53,000 acres but, as this includes many areas which for one reason or another are not immediately available for planting, the true reserve is about 35,000 acres.
The House has already been advised in previous years of the problems arising from an inadequate land reserve which have prevented the forestry service from maintaining its target of 25,000 acres per annum for the last few years. While one cannot with certainty look into the future, I am happy to inform the House that there are now good grounds for hope that we have at last turned the corner on the land acquisition problem. Present indications, including the amount of lands on offer in the pipeline, are that the new price structure for forest lands coupled with the streamlined procedure for offer and inspection have had the desired effect and that the land reserve position is likely to improve substantially over the next few years. Deputies will realise that such an improvement is not alone necessary as a basis for resumption of the full 25,000 acres per annum planting programme but is critically important as an aid to better planning of forest work programmes and the maintenance of steady employment levels.
Forest Development and Management—subhead C.2—at £3,766,000 is, of course, the main expenditure subhead in this Vote. The work funded out of the subhead includes amenity development, which I referred to in my opening remarks, but the major provisions in the subhead relate to the raising of nursery stock in the State forest nurseries, the establishment costs of all new planting including ground preparation and fencing, road and bridge construction, the purchase and maintenance of all forest machinery and the hire of suitable machinery from outside sources, the general cost of maintaining and protecting all our existing acreage of forest plantations, now standing at over half a million acres in extent, and finally the cost of such timber felling and conversion as we now undertake by direct labour in our forests. The provision in the subhead shows an overall increase in cost of £493,000 on the provision for 1968-69. The increase includes provision for the cost of 11th round of wage increases for forestry workers as negotiated in 1968 as well as for the cost of a reduction in working hours. It also included provision for a service pay scheme for forestry workers. The total sum provided for labour under the various heads is £2,773,000.
In framing the Estimate no allowance was, of course, made for the extension of the 11th round which has this year been granted to forestry workers. This represents £1 5s 0d per worker from the 1st June of this year and a further £1 per worker from the 1st October as well as an adjustment in the rate of incentive bonus payable to workers and will involve additional expenditure of £300,000 in the current year on this subhead.
These increases in labour costs make it necessary to pursue with increasing vigour the aim of cost reduction which has over the years been a primary concern of the forestry service. The pioneering of work study on a large scale in forest establishment phases has been progressively extended into method improvement and at the present juncture there is no aspect of our field operations which has not been subjected to rigorous scrutiny in regard to specifications and objectives—the overall aim being that every pound spent should yield a return in terms of volume or quality of timber in the long term.
Nursery practice has benefited considerably from improved technology and very substantial improvements in unit costs have been achieved. Overall expenditure on planting has fallen in sympathy with the fall in planting programme but costs have also been affected significantly by the absence from recent planting programmes of any considerable content of scrub clearance on old woodland areas, an operation which has a very high labour content. Such areas in private hands are now commonly being reclaimed under land project grant and are less readily available than formerly for acquisition for forestry; where such areas are still acquired, we have been cutting our preparation costs by new methods.
Progress on road construction is maintained to keep pace with timber extraction requirements but, so far as practicable, expenditure on road construction is normally deferred as long as possible to conserve capital and to ensure that the planning of road systems will be carried out with the best knowledge of technological improvements and will take into account improvements in extraction machinery on which a lot of development work is being done in the big timber-producing countries. In maintenance operations, the area of plantations requiring maintenance is growing from year to year but improvements in techniques, particularly in the use of chemical herbicides, have made possible some substantial reductions in unit costs of labour.
The balance of all these factors has tended in recent years towards a gradually reducing requirement of labour in real terms although the absolute cost of labour has risen very considerably. The net effect is that average employment in the current year will be at a somewhat lower level than last year's figure of 3,677 men but the reduction is almost entirely in casual employment. There is, in fact, a continuing trend towards more stable and, therefore, more useful employment in the State forests. Of the gross total being provided for forestry in this Estimate, 73 per cent is being spent on labour, including salaries, wages and allowances.
The rapid extension of State forests in recent years has meant that well over half of the 500,000 acres now under State forests are vulnerable to fire danger. It is, of course, in the early years of growth that forests in this country are most vulnerable. The extension of a multiple land use policy, to which I have already referred, while mainly associated with more mature forests inevitably brings the public into contact with the younger forest areas, and therefore increases the hazard of accidental fire. We have been heartened by the increased consciousness of people of the usefulness of the State forests and of their potential as a pleasant environment. We believe that this consciousness is growing and that recreational facilities for the public in our forests is our best fire insurance. Nonetheless every year several hundred acres of State forests planted at the people's expense are destroyed through acts of carelessness or negligence. May I use this forum to appeal again to every member of the community to exercise that little extra care in or near State forests that will ensure that no act of theirs will leave a scarred, burnt-out area which can only be restored with time and at heavy cost to the tax payer?
Forestry education—subhead E—a minor increase on this head was needed to cover increases in allowances to forestry trainees and the full expenditure requirements of the new Avondale Forestry Extension School.
The new extension school is a very important addition to the forestry service's staff training system. In recent years, forest authorities throughout the world have found it necessary to reappraise critically all the accepted norms of traditional forest management in order to meet the impact of rising costs and keen competition in world trade. We, as a country engaged in large-scale capital investment in new forests, saw the warning lights at a relatively early stage and we have been progressively overhauling our whole approach to forestry over the past decade or more. We pioneered the application of modern work study methods to the crop establishment phases of forest work and there has been a continuing forward movement both in forestry techniques and practice and in the introduction of modern management techniques. With continuing change and development, it is critically important to have constant provision for updating staff-training and the new extension school is already providing a very valuable service here. The school is used continuously for short refresher and intensive courses for forest service personnel at all levels. It will play a very important part in the management structure of the forest service.
The John F. Kennedy Park—sub-head G—at £26,000 shows a reduction of £103,000 on the provision for 1968-69. The provision for 1968-69 included major capital charges, whereas the current provision is, in the main, in respect of plants and labour. It is expected that actual expenditure will exceed the provision by some £18,000 mainly because of charges that did not mature for payment last year. The excess will be met by economies on other heads of the Vote. Considerable progress has already been made in extending the range of trees and shrubs in the park which, apart altogether from its scientific importance, is becoming a major tourist attraction. It has already become necessary to double the size of the large car-park originally provided there. The need for a catering facility to provide light meals has also become apparent and plans are in hand to provide this. In its first year since opening, the park attracted over 100,000 visitors and very many of these visitors have written to the Department making favourable comment on the park and on the facilities provided there.
As the House is aware, the nucleus of the fund for the development of the park came from the Kennedy Memorial Committee in America—an organisation representing most of the Irish-American Societies in the United States. They undertook to provide a fund of $100,000 towards the park and this they had achieved before the park was formally opened in May, 1968. The American Committee have in fact exceeded their target and within the last few weeks I received from their representatives a further contribution of £19,000 representing about $45,000. I am sure the House will join with me in expressing appreciation of the support given by the Irish-American Societies concerned to this important project.
Under subhead H, Appropriations-in-Aid, allowance has been made in the Estimate for an increase of £129,500 in revenue from timber sales. Markets for both sawlog material and pulpwood continue buoyant and I am hopeful that this additional revenue will be secured. The indications for the future continue to be of a steady increase in output of small dimension material for which markets are available for some time ahead in existing processing industries. In sawlogs we expect to maintain and slightly increase present production over the next few years.
As to future prospects for industrial development in the timber processing field, H.A. Simons Ltd. of Vancouver, a firm of consultants in pulp and paper commissioned jointly by the IDA and the Minister for Lands, have reported that expansions by the existing mills in the fields of chipboard and hardboard production for export markets and newsprint for domestic consumption provide the most promising outlets at this stage for our expanding production of pulpwood. Expansions planned by these existing industries will absorb the growth in pulpwood availability up to about 1975 and the study made by the consultants suggests that a review of the position should be carried out in the early 1970's; the consultants advised that no ad hoc or piece-meal industrial projects should be encouraged in the meantime.
The Forestry Division has in hands a new long-term production forecast which will be available next year and this forecast will provide the necessary background for a further review of progress and possibilities in this field of industrial expansion. The report by the consultants contains information on the present activities and expansion projects of the existing industries which is confidential to the individual companies concerned and was supplied under conditions of confidence. For this reason, the full report is not being published.
An undertaking of significance in relation to the future marketing of our timber is the research into the properties of Irish-grown timber which is being carried out for my Department by the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards, the cost of which is borne on subhead F of this Estimate. Reports on some of our timber species have already been published and, in relation to strength properties and other essential characteristics, the results have been most encouraging. The programme of testing is continuing and will cover all species which are of importance in our planting programme.
I made reference in dealing with the Lands Vote to European Conservation Year 1970. Responsibility for the organisation of Conservation Year has been assigned by the Government to my Department and very satisfactory progress has already been made in building up contacts and establishing a National Committee with various working committees to co-ordinate the programme for the year in this country and to plan activities on a national scale. A provision for expenditure in connection with Conservation Year will appear in the Forestry Estimate for 1970-71. No expenditure of any consequence will arise during the current year and such incidental expenses as may be incurred for preliminary promotion work can be met from appropriate subheads of this year's Estimate.
The basic aim of European Conservation Year is to make the people of Ireland and of every other European country aware of their fundamental interest in preservation of the natural environment—soil, air, water and plant and animal life. Here, as in other countries, such awareness is the first requisite if the community as a whole is to learn to co-operate in maintaining and fostering the many values of its natural heritage now and in the years to come. This is an aim to which the Government give their full support and the Taoiseach has accepted an invitation to act as Ireland's representative on the European Board of Patrons for Conservation Year.
During 1970 activities will be organised at national and local level and I would ask Deputies to lend their full support to the efforts being made. The importance of nature conservation has been highlighted by recent examples of damage to scenery and environment and by the attention directed to some bad cases of pollution. The object of Conservation Year, let me emphasise, is not to seek out scapegoats or to indulge in recrimination against anybody. Rather is it the purpose the better to equip people at all levels in the community with an understanding of the basic values of the environment, the ways in which it may be damaged and the ultimate cost to the community of such damage. In that way we can lay a firm foundation on which to base decisions as to protective measures which will themselves cost money and can only be justified if the expenditure is seen to be necessary and worthwhile. It is an inescapable fact of life, too long unrecognised throughout the world, that modern civilisation with all its economic and technological advances, enormously increases the sources and extent of environmental damage. Economic and technological advance is necessary to survival but it must be so orientated as to minimise and, where possible, eliminate damage. I believe the programme of activity which is being prepared for Conservation Year will take us a major stride forward.
