I move "That the Bill be now read a Second Time".
The sole purpose of this Bill is to increase the ceiling of the contribution payable by county councils towards the finacing of county committees of agriculture. Section 1, sub-section (1), of the Bill is designed to give each county council the power to increase the contribution to its committee of agriculture for the service of agricultural schemes to a sum not exceeding 15 times the produce of a rate of 1p in the £, that is, a maximum of 15p in the £ or 3/-. The existing ceiling was fixed by legislation in March, 1970, at 2s 3d in the £.
Section 1, sub-section (2), of the Bill will enable arrangements validly to be made by county councils prior to 1st April, 1972, for the purpose of financing the committees of agriculture for the financial year 1972-73. Under section 2 the legislation will come into operation on 1st April next, which is the beginning of the local authorities' financial year.
The annual income at present available to the committees of agriculture consists of contributions from their respective county councils together with State grants related to the amounts of such local contributions. The State grant in each case normally approximates to the same amount as the local rates contribution by the county council but, in the case of the 12 committees of agriculture in the western small farm areas, further State assistance is granted by way of a contribution of 75 per cent instead of the normal 50 per cent towards the cost of employing adequate numbers of advisory staff. In the current year 13 of the 27 committees of agriculture obtained from their county councils contributions based on the existing maximum rate.
As in the case of other public bodies and organisations, the general expenditure of committees of agriculture has been increasing in recent years. Also, the progressive expansion in the county advisory service is reflected in the jump in expenditure from a total of £1.2 million in 1965-66 to £2.1 million in 1970-71. The increase is attributable mainly to the employment of more instructors as well as to increases in salaries and expenses of the advisory staffs. The extent of the salary increases granted during the past year, or so, which were necessary to give the advisory staffs increases corresponding to the increases given in the public service generally, could not have been foreseen when the existing maximum of county council contributions was fixed.
The most recent pay awards to instructors employed by committees of agriculture was recommended by a conciliation council which included representatives of the General Council of Committees of Agriculture. A case for increases made by chief agricultural officers and deputy chief agricultural officers is at present awaiting determination by an arbitration board which recently heard the case.
Apart from salary costs, a number of other factors have contributed to the increased expenditure of committees of agriculture, namely, higher travelling and subsistence allowances to officers in respect of official duties, attendance at training courses, seminars and conferences both in this country and abroad. Increased allowances are also now payable for the attendance of members of county committees at meetings.
The educational and other agricultural services of the committees have also been expanding. These include new farm education centres, winter farm schools, the pilot areas schemes, the small farms (incentive bonus) scheme and the farm home management advisory scheme. Further advances in most of these areas are necessary if the farming community are to be adequately catered for in the advisory and educational work of the committees. The principal object of these educational courses is to train young adults on the farms to become proficient and to be leaders in good farming practice in their localities.
This Bill, I should explain, is basically an interim measure designed to enable the more hard-pressed committees of agriculture to pay their way in carrying on their very important work until such time as a final decision is reached on the whole future of the agricultural advisory and educational service which, as Deputies know, has been under comprehensive review. The new maximum rate will meet the needs of those county committees which in the immediate future cannot carry on without a contribution in excess of the present permitted maximum. Otherwise, those committees would have to consider curtailing their schemes and possibly the numbers of their advisory staffs. Such a contingency would not only be highly undesirable but would be seriously detrimental to the interests of the farming community.
I am, therefore, suggesting in the Bill that the existing law be amended to empower county councils, where they so decide, to pay to committees of agriculture a contribution up to a maximum of 15 times the produce of 1p in the £, that is a total of 15p in the £, or 3s as compared with the existing maximum of 2s 3d. A number of committees will, I should point out, be able to continue meeting their needs in the immediate future from income derived from significantly lower rates than the maximum now being proposed. Contributions from the Department will, of course, continue to be made on the same pro rata basis as hitherto.
I recommend the Bill to the House.