I move:
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £272,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1973, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Education (including Institutions of Science and Art), for certain miscellaneous educational and cultural services and for payment of sundry grants-in-aid.
The original Estimates for my Department totalled £96,708,000. Supplementary Estimates totalling £10,086,000 are now required. The greater part of these Supplementary Estimates, that is, £7,450,000 is due to increased salaries and wages arising out of conciliation agreements and provision for the second phase of the 13th round of the National Wage Agreement made after the Estimates for 1972-73 had been prepared. Furthermore, the Supplementary Estimates provide for the additional £1,000,000 capital made available in the latter half of the financial year for the purpose of creating extra employment. A sum of £500,000 is also provided with a view to reducing the accumulated deficits of the universities.
The Supplementary Estimates are made up as follows:—
|
Vote 27—Office of the Minister for Education |
£272,000 |
|
Vote 28—Primary Education |
£4,125,000 |
|
Vote 29—Secondary Education |
£1,958,000 |
|
Vote 30—Vocational Education |
£1,984,000 |
|
Vote 32—Universities and Colleges |
£1,747,000 |
Vote 27: The items which require additional funds are:
|
A.2. |
Travelling and Incidental Expenses |
£ |
21,000 |
|
A.5. |
Grants to Bord an Choláiste Náisiúnta Ealaíne is Deartha |
£ |
47,500 |
|
A.6. |
National Council for Educational Awards |
£ |
25,800 |
|
D.2. |
Grants to Colleges providing courses in Irish |
£ |
8,500 |
|
D.3. |
Transport services |
£ |
285,000 |
|
F.1. |
Purchase of specimens (grants-in-aid) |
£ |
14,200 |
|
Grants to Rosc Teoranta. |
£ |
20,000 |
The increased provision in subhead A.2 covers additional expenditure on travelling as well as the cost of my Department's participation in the scientific and technical exhibition recently organised by the Royal Dublin Society.
The extra money required under subhead A.5 arises out of salary and wage increases due to the 13th round, as well as the increased cost of materials. The £25,800 in A.6 is a new provision to cover the general expenses of the National Council for Educational Awards established after the commencement of the financial year, while the increase under subhead D.2 is necessary because of the provision of a special course for training college students.
The extra money required under subhead D.3 for school transport is due to increased wages to part-time drivers arising out of a Labour Court award made after the Estimates had been prepared, as well as the fact that transport costs rose to an extent greater than anticipated.
The money required under subhead F.1 is to cover the purchase price of a gold coin issued by the Duke of Ormond in 1641, while the grant to Rosc Teoranta is to enable Rose to clear off outstanding accounts remaining as a result of the 1971 Art exhibition.
The total additional requirements in Vote 27 is offset to the extent of £150,000 by anticipated savings in a number of other subheads of the Vote.
In Vote 28, £3,548,000 of the extra money is required to meet increased salaries in national schools. The increased provision in subhead A.1 over increased salaries as well as capital provision of £320,000 for the extension and modernisation of the training colleges. An additional £58,000 is also required under subhead A.2 for grants and loans to students in training colleges. The increase under subhead A.3 is necessary because of the attendance of teachers on special courses being greater than anticipated. The increased provision of £40,000 under subhead C.5 is to meet the cost of grants for the painting of national schools.
The extra £150,000 in Vote 29, A.3 is required to clear the backlog of cases awaiting grants for furnishing and equipping special subject rooms. The increase of £1,800,000 in subhead B is due to increased salaries to secondary teachers. The money required in subhead C is to cover the increased cost of examiners and superintendents due to the number taking the certificate examinations being greater than anticipated, while the provision of £90,000 in subhead J.1 is to meet the extra salary costs of teachers. In subhead K it is necessary to provide an additional £27,000 for grants towards the cost of free school books for necessitous pupils.
The total additional requirement in Vote 29 is offset by £90,000 in increased receipts from refunds of portion of capital savings in subhead L.—Appropriations-in-Aid — and by anticipated savings in a number of subheads amounting to £170,000.
In Vote 30, £1,670,000 is being provided in subhead A for the annual grants to vocational education committees to meet the commitment for the increased cost of salaries to vocational education teachers and to enable them to meet other increased charges. In subhead B an additional £90,000 is necessary to meet the increased costs, including salaries, of the special training courses for teachers as well as to meet deficits incurred in recent years by the training colleges of home economics. An extra £6,000 is required in subhead F to meet the extra costs of examinations arising from the extra numbers taking these examinations. An additional £68,000 is required for the extra cost of teachers' salaries in the regional technical colleges as well as a capital provision of £150,000 for the building of these colleges.
In Vote 32, £1,227,000 of the additional provision is for increased salaries and wages as well as to defray part of the accumulated deficits of UCD., UCC., UCG., Trinity College, the Dublin Dental Hospital and the College of Pharmacy. Provision is also being made for additional capital expenditure of £650,000 in the case of University College, Galway, and of £80,000 in the case of the College of Physical Education in Limerick. These extra provisions are offset to the amount of £210,000 by anticipated savings in other provisions in Vote 32.
In connection with the submission of these Supplementary Estimates it may be of interest to the House to learn that programmed budgeting has been fully implemented in my Department. I think it speaks well for our progress that recently we had a visit from EEC representatives in order that they might learn something from us preparatory to the development of programmed budgeting in their Budget Bureau.
