Vol. 337 No. 8
I move:
That a sum not exceeding £101,974,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 1982, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Transport, including certain services administered by that Office, and for payment of certain grants-in-aid.
Could the Minister say if this Department will be involved in the savings project and if so in what area?
Yes. There is a Supplementary Estimate for a sum not exceeding £16,500,000.
(Cavan-Monaghan): I think the Minister said this was one of the Departments that have been asked to effect savings and that it is hoped that they will be able to save on the original Estimate. I put it to the Minister that does not make sense in view of the fact that he has just said there is a Supplementary Estimate for £16 million. That Supplementary Estimate had to be cleared by the Department of Finance and presumably they were satisfied that there was not enough money available to the Department in the original Estimate to enable it to carry on for the year. They cleared a £16 million Supplementary Estimate and the Minister tells us that the Department have been asked to find savings on its original Estimate and that he is hopeful they will do so. In fairness to the Minister he did say earlier that the answer he is giving is a formal one, that it meant nothing, that he was giving it in respect of each Department. I think he must agree, however, that it is not applicable here.
I should point out that in this instance the bulk of the Vote is in effect to meet the cost of the operation of CIE. That accounts for the lion's share of the original Estimate. The Supplementary Estimate of £16 million being sought is also related to CIE. This illustrates the point I was making earlier that other events can occur which give rise to the need for additional expenditure and if this happens it will be put in the form of a Supplementary Estimate and brought before the House as is being done now. At the same time, it is perfectly valid to ask the Department of Transport to set about achieving economies on its own staffing and other activities which can yield savings as a contribution towards the overall spending cuts required of at least £45 million. Those are both perfectly valid approaches. It is perfectly possible to give extra money to CIE and secure economies elsewhere.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Would the Minister agree that if the Department of Transport are to make a real saving they will have to find the £16 million that we are now dealing with for a start plus whatever other amounts they can save, say £500,000. If the Department save £16½ million in salaries or somewhere else they will have in effect saved £500,000 on the original Estimate. Is that not what the Minister is saying?
The Deputy is not correct in that kind of statement because in this particular instance the additional provision for CIE was announced in the budget statement on 25 March. This Supplementary Estimate is giving effect to that announcement. If the House votes this sum it is adhering to the spending figure put forward in that budget statement so there is not a need to find an economy of £16 million somewhere else in the Department.
Is there any provision in the Supplementary Estimate for the pension scheme which the Minister for Transport agreed to sanction for the railway staff of CIE?
I understand there is not. While there is the commitment to going ahead with this new pension scheme no actual details have come into operation yet so it is not possible to have any specific financial commitment established.
Is there any provision in the Supplementary Estimate for the further development of the electrification scheme other than the Howth-Greystones line? I understand that line will be finished quite soon.
My understanding is that there is not. At this juncture CIE are working on the project for the electrification of the Howth-Bray line. That project is due for completion within the next 18 months. It will be a matter for decision at some other time whether any further development on this line takes place.
