Before the debate was adjourned, I was referring to the agricultural provisions in the budget. An agricultural environment scheme will be introduced for the first time this year. The Government has allocated £0.9 million to that scheme. While the scheme is very worthy and welcome, I do not think this small allocation will make very big inroads in this area. Nevertheless, it is a beginning. I imagine that the scheme will be enlarged in future years and will receive further funding both from the Government and Europe. Incidentally, 75 per cent of the cost of the scheme will be taken up by the Community.
This year for the first time an upper weight limit has been placed on beef carcases acceptable for intervention. The Community first fixed a weight of 340 kilograms but, as a result of objections raised by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Deputy Walsh — who must be complimented for the stand he took on that issue and others — the limit was increased to 380 kilograms and will come into effect on 1 July 1993, not 1 April as previously mentioned. The fixing of a weight limit will have quite an impact on Ireland, as we export much of our beef to the Community and have more in intervention. In 1992 about 750,000 tonnes of beef was taken into intervention but by 1997 that figure will be reduced by a little more than 50 per cent, to 350,000 tonnes. Ireland will have to export much more of its prime beef on the open market, which may be a blessing in one sense but not in others. We will have to go further afield, find new markets and extend existing markets. Coras Beostoic agus Feola, the body that promotes our beef and other agricultural goods, has had its Government allocation reduced by 2 per cent this year. That is surprising, especially when one takes into account the additional task that will be faced by the organisation in the future in promoting our product. I very much regret the reduction in the allocation to CBF and I call for a much larger increase in coming years to cover the extra cost involved. In the past some of our very notable exporters sold beef on the open market only but, unfortunately, some of them have been very heavily criticised in the past 18 months. Other exporters have sold directly into intervention, a practice that will be seriously restricted after 1 July when the 380 kilograms weight limit is imposed. After 1977 less and less meat will be accepted into intervention stocks and more will have to be sold on the open market, leading to increased work and expense for the CBF.
The allocation for group water schemes has been increased by £500,000 to £2.5 million. While I appreciate that the Government has increased their contribution towards water schemes, £2.5 million is not sufficient to get the schemes already in train under way. A much greater allocation will be required bearing in mind the high percentage of rural houses which do not have running water. I very much welcome the increase of £500,000 in the allocation but that figure would have to be trebled to make a serious impact on the schemes already awaiting ratification by the Department.
I was delighted to hear that the 1993 budget would create jobs. However, I do not understand the way in which an increase in the level of VAT on poured concrete from 10 per cent to 21 per cent could signal a jobs creation operation. Perhaps the Government parties, in their wisdom, have a complicated way of working out such things, but, being more simplistic, I do not recognise how that could create jobs. The increase in VAT is most regrettable because the building industry, which is directly affected by this move, is labour intensive. Any measures that might help to increase the amount of building work undertaken would be very desirable. I should like the Minister to explain his policy in regard to increasing the VAT rate on concrete to 21 per cent.
The VAT rate on adults' clothes has been increased from 16 per cent to 21 per cent. I see 15 and 16 year old girls wearing garments that would be too big on their grandmothers. How are shopkeepers supposed to distinguish between a garment for a 15 year old girl and one for her grandmother? For some reason, present fashions seem to dictate that the bigger the clothes, the better. To say that the increase in VAT applies only to adult clothes is incorrect because it would be very difficult to distinguish between clothes for a 15 year old girl and an 85 year old grantmother.
The health services allocation has been increased by 12 per cent for which the Minister for Health, Deputy Howlin, must be complimented. The total expenditure on health services per year is about £1.7 billion, so a 12 per cent increase in the allocation is sizeable. However, it does not appear to have made any impact on the health boards. In the Western Health Board area hospitalisation costs have increased and we are also threatened with the closure of certain wards for a period during the summer, perhaps for a month. I have been told that all hospitals in the Western Health Board area are anticipating closures during the summer and I have no doubt that the same will apply to the health board areas. There is a requirement for a saving of approximately 10 per cent. I have had the experience of being a patient in a Roscommon hospital and in another in Dublin since Christmas. I thank God that things worked out well and that I am in the House today, so I should not complain too much about money.
We cannot afford the closure of any wards in Roscommon hospital. That is equally true of the hospitals in Galway and Castlebar. There are four coronary care beds in the hospital at Roscommon. During my four day stay in coronary care at nights some of fellow patients were removed to make room for other patients. At the time I was told that if other patients had arrived after a particular time at night they could not be admitted to Roscommon but would have to be transferred to a hospital in Galway or Castlebar. I do not know what will happen to patients when they are refused admission to the hospitals. Surely we cannot rely on a drastic reduction in illness, sickness, car accidents and heart problems. I contend it is most unfair to place such extra burden on nurses, doctors, in fact on any one individual who may have to say to a distressed father and mother: "Sorry, we cannot admit your child to hospital tonight." Needless to say, it will be the nurse or doctor who refuses to admit such a patient who will also be the subject of abuse, but their hands are tied because of regulations introduced with regard to hospital admissions last year. I understand that if a ward has been designated for four beds then it must contain four beds only. I understand also there is a regulation in being stipulating that any extra beds in such a ward would not be covered for insurance purposes. In the light of what the Minister said at the Labour Party Conference last weekend, perhaps he will review the overall position. I wish him luck in that respect. However, I would plead with him not to propose bed closures during any part of the year by way of a money-saving exercise.
I note that £29.3 million has been allocated to railways, which is very much to be welcomed. However, I note that those moneys will be expended mostly on the Dublin to Belfast and Dublin to Cork lines without any moneys being spent on, say, the Dublin to Galway, Dublin to Westport or Sligo to Limerick lines. This would appear to be an endeavour to keep funds very much on the Eastern sea-board.
