asked the Minister for Agriculture (a) the total amount received by Ireland from FEOGA each year since 1973 under the headings (i) price support measures and (ii) other schemes; (b) the total amount spent by the Irish Exchequer each year since 1973 on schemes and subsidy measures to benefit agriculture through disease eradication schemes, fertiliser subsidies, drainage schemes and so on, covering all schemes and subsidies and the annual cost of each individual scheme or subsidies; (c) the total amount spent each year on the agricultural advisory service, grants on An Foras Talúntais and on support for agricultural colleges and education; (d) the annual Estimates of his Department each year since 1973; (e) the number of administrative civil servants employed in his Department each year since 1973; (f) Government expenditure on agriculture expressed as a percentage of total Government spending each year since 1970; and (g) the numbers employed in agriculture related industries for 1973 to 1982.
Written Answers. - Agriculture Statistics.
All the information requested by the Deputy is already available from such publications as the budget booklet presented annually to the Dáil by the Minister for Finance, in the annual Book of Estimates for Public Services, and in the Irish Statistical Bulletin published quarterly by the Central Statistics Office.
For the convenience of the Deputy I am sending him through the post photocopies of extracts from the first-named two publications which contain the information requested under subheads (a) to (e) inclusive above. The information requested at (f) and (g) is as follows:
(f) Government Expenditure on Agriculture expressed as a percentage of Total Government Spending.
|
*State Expenditure in relation to Agriculture (Gross) |
Total Government Expenditure (Gross) |
||
|
£m |
£m |
% |
|
|
1970/1† |
74.4 |
491.4 |
15.1 |
|
1971/2† |
85.3 |
582.2 |
14.7 |
|
1972/3† |
88.0 |
681.5 |
12.9 |
|
1973/4† |
71.2 |
832.9 |
8.5 |
|
1974‡ |
50.2 |
721.0 |
7.0 |
|
1975 |
123.0 |
1,388.1 |
8.9 |
|
1976 |
139.7 |
1,682.0 |
8.3 |
|
1977 |
163.7 |
1,955.6 |
8.4 |
|
1978 |
194.1 |
2,414.8 |
8.0 |
|
1979 |
186.2 |
2,966.7 |
6.3 |
|
1980 |
242.7 |
3,778.4 |
6.4 |
|
1981 |
291.2 |
4,856.2 |
6.0 |
Source: Estimates for Public Services.
†year ending 31 March.
‡April to December.
* Figures relate to Vote Agriculture.
(g) (Estimated) numbers employed in agriculture-related industries* for the years 1973 to 1982.
|
1973 |
28,600 |
1978 |
31,400 |
|
1974 |
29,800 |
1979 |
32,300 |
|
1975 |
26,232 |
1980 |
31,400 |
|
1976 |
25,153 |
1981 |
29,200 |
|
1977 |
25,696 |
1982 |
(Provisional) Not yet available |
* Includes: slaughtering and preserving of meat; manufacture of dairy products; grain milling and manufacture of animal and poultry food; manufacture of sugar and cocoa, chocolate and chocolate confectionery.
Source: Irish Statistical Bulletin.