As the Minister has indicated, we are seeking the approval of the House for two Supplementary Estimates on the Votes for Second-Level and Further Education and Third-Level and Further Education.
The position with regard to gross expenditure for the four Education Votes is that we expect an overall saving of over £1 million on total gross expenditure of some £1,490 million. The House will agree that a variation of 0.1 per cent on expenditure of this magnitude represents extremely good management.
The saving on gross expenditure is made up of a saving of £4.5 million on the Vote for the Office of the Minister for Education partly offset by deficits of £1.9 million and £1.2 million respectively on the Votes for Second-Level and Further Education and Third-Level and Further Education.
The arrangements prescribed by the Department of Finance in relation to European Social Fund aid require that provision be made in the relevant Votes for the full cost of European Social Fundaided programmes and the resultant aid be brought to account as Appropriations-in-Aid. Consequently, the full amount provided for in the Votes may be spent only when and if European Social Fund aid has been received. The Estimates for the Votes for Second-Level and Further Education and Third-Level and Further Education envisaged receipts from the European Social Fund of £172.55 million in 1991. Due to delays in processing payments in Brussels receipts to date amount to approximately £135 million. It appears unlikely at this stage that any further significant receipts will be received before the end of the year. However, if further appropriations-in-aid are received they will reduce the actual charge on the Exchequer and the additional money voted will be returned as savings.
The Supplementary Estimates now sought for the Votes for Second-level and Further Education and Third-level and Further Education will provide £23.52 million and £14.138 million respectively in Exchequer funding to meet payments which the approved estimates envisaged would be funded from ESF receipts. All of the expected shortfall will be received in early 1992 and will have the effect of reducing the charge on the Exchequer in that year.
The two Supplementary Estimates amount to £40.855 million and comprise: £24.983 million for the Vote for Second-level and Further Education; and £15.872 million for the Vote for Third-level and Further Education.
On the Second-level and Further Education Vote an additional £2 million is sought for secondary teachers' salaries. Delays in school amalgamations reduced the expected number of teachers transferring to the payroll for community and comprehensive schools. In addition the number of teachers redeployed under the terms of the redeployment scheme for lay teachers in Catholic secondary schools was less than originally estimated.
The provision for miscellaneous post-primary services has proved insufficient because of much greater activity in the area of teacher inservice training. Quite apart from normal ongoing inservice programmes three days special inservice training have been provided this year for some 17,000 teachers relating to the new junior certificate programme and this has necessitated an additional provision of £450,000.
The cost of running the certificate examinations in 1991 is expected to be £700,000 greater than originally estimated due to a number of factors. The fees for examiners and superintendents were increased by 4 per cent. In addition a greater number of superintendents than anticipated were appointed, due to an increase in the number of school candidates and an increase in the number of special centres for sick and disabled candidates. Travelling and subsistence and stationery costs were also greater than expected.
An additional £48,000 is required for subhead L — Miscellaneous. This will meet among other things a grant of £25,000 to the post-primary tier of the National Parents' Council and the costs of purchasing and distributing to all second level schools a safety video produced as a result of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989.
Capital expenditure on second level schools is also expected to exceed the original estimate by £1.4 million. It was necessary to proceed with a number of projects to address the unsatisfactory condition of existing accommodation. Additional expenditure was also necessary to meet the exceptionally high demand for prefabricated units as replacements or to meet temporary increases in enrolments in the 1991-92 school year.
I have already referred to the position in relation to aid from the European Social Fund. Provision is made here for a shortfall of £23.52 million in ESF receipts, offset by increased receipts of £0.935 million from teacher superannuation contributions and exam fees. The net shortfall is £22.585 million. There are offsetting savings on other subheads of the Vote which are due to overestimations on salaries for teachers in community and comprehensive schools and grants to vocational education committees. Payments to local authorities in respect of the superannuation of vocational education committee personnel is also expected to be £400,000 less than the original Estimate.
On the Third-level and Further Education Vote an additional £1 million is required in subhead A1 to cover the cost of recouping local authorities in respect of expenditure incurred by them in 1990 on fees and maintenance grants to students under the higher education grants scheme.
A further sum of £102,000 is required on subhead A2 for university scholarships and grants. The uptake of certain scholarships was greater than expected and in addition it was decided to award double the usual number of Easter Week 1916 Commemoration scholarships to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Easter Rising and to grant two special awards to mark the centenary of the death of Charles Stewart Parnell.
The policy of the Government to encourage students with the necessary aptitudes, abilities and commitment to participate in third level education has been particularly successful. This has resulted in a larger than expected increase in student numbers, giving rise to the need for an extra provision of £1.6 million for grants to students on ESF-aided courses. The number of students in receipt of vocational education committee scholarships is also greater than expected with the result that expenditure will be £1.05 million greater than anticipated.
A further sum of £182,000 is required by the Higher Education Authority in respect of pension gratuities and the extra cost of the undergraduate expansion programme in a number of third level institutions. An additional provision of £300,000 is sought in subhead D to cover the payment of salary to certain former staff of Carysfort College, pending their redeployment to other suitable employment.
Provision is also necessary in this Vote for the shortfall of £14.138 million in receipts from the European Social Fund. It is expected that both this shortfall and that on the Second-Level and Further Education Vote will be received in early 1992.
There are offsetting savings of £2.5 million on the capital provision for the Higher Education Authority due mainly to late commencement of works and slower than expected progress.
I commend the Supplementary Estimates to the House