I move:
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £6,946,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 1975, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and of certain other services administered by that Office, and for payment of certain grants-in-aid.
This Supplementary Estimate contains £8 million extra for telephone development this year in accordance with the announcement made by the Minister for Finance in his June budget statement. The extra expenditure is fully offset by a corresponding increase in Appropriations-in-Aid as capital expenditure on the telephone system is recovered from telephone capital funds.
Provision is made for pay increases granted under the first and second phases of the 16th Round and for some other pay increases granted in accordance with the national pay agreements. The cost of these pay increases amounts to £4,996,000. To this has to be added £500,000 for higher social welfare contributions, but various savings reduce the extra amount needed for subhead A to £4,667,000.
Under subhead L.2 an extra £30,000 is provided for an increased grant-in-aid to Radio Telefís Éireann because net receipts from wired broadcast relay licence fees will be higher than shown in the original estimate. The balance of almost £2 million in the Supplementary Estimate is required mainly because of inflation which has affected expenditure under several subheads.
The total original net Estimate for Posts and Telegraphs for 1975 was £84,256,000. This is now being increased to £91,202,000.
