Tá fhios ag na Seanadóirí gurab é cuspóir an Bhille seo ná comhacht do thabhairt chun méid an Bhóta i gCúntas, £13,820,000 agus méid na Meastachán Breise agus na Meastachán Nua a cuireadh os cóir na Dála tar éis don Acht Leithreasa teacht i bhfeidhm, d'íoc amach as an bPrímhChiste. Tugtar sa Bhille, freisin, an ghnáth-chomhacht don Aire Airgeadais chun airgid d'fháil ar iasacht.
Sé méid an Bhóta i gCúntas ná breis agus an tríú cuid den mhéid iomlán atá uainn le haghaidh na Seirbhísí Soláthaír. Mar atá fhios ag na Seanadóirí ó leabhar na Meastáchan, tá £40,696,211 glan ag teastáil uainn le haghaidh na bliana so chughainn agus, mar sin, tá £264,383 sa bhreis uainn i gcompáráid leis an soláthar glán a deineadh i rith na bliana so. B'é an soláthar glan san ná £40,431,828 agus airmhítear na Meastacháin Bhreise agus na Meastacháin Nua sa méid sin. £39,112,201 méid meastachán na bliana airgeadais seo nuair a tugadh isteach iad agus, i gcomparáid leis an bhfigiúir seo, tá £1,583,910 sa bhreis uainn i gcóir na bliana so chughainn.
Sé cúis na breise seo ná go bhfuil airgead dá sholáthar sna meastacháin nua le haghaidh bonus práinne d'oibrithe an Stáit, breis is £656,000, agus íocaíochtaí breise i gcóir congnamh díomhaointis, £122,000 agus liúntaisí bídh £118,500. Tá soláthar déanta chó maith i léith (1) cláir speisialta d'oibritheóirí talmhaíochta agus móna, (2) congnamh airgid chun praghas na móna don phobal do choimeád síos, (3) leasú barraí do chur ar fáil dos na feirmeóirí ar chostas réarsúnta, (4) conganta airgid alos tortha talmhaiochta do mhéadú.
As Senators are aware, the Central Fund Bill is designed to authorise the issue from the Central Fund of the amount of the Vote on Account of £13,820,000 for the coming financial year and of the total of the Supplementary and Additional Estimates for the present financial year which were passed subsequent to the enactment of the Appropriation Act, 1942, and which amounted to £1,295,608. The Bill also makes the usual provision for borrowing by the Minister for Finance. and for the issue by him of such securities as he thinks proper.
The amount of the Vote on Account for the coming year is £13,820,000, which represents slightly over one-third of the total net provision of £40,696,211, required for the Supply Services. The sum required for the Supply Services for the coming year represents an increase of £264,383 on the total, including Supplementary and Additional Estimates, required during the current year; compared, however, with the original Estimates for the current year the increase is £1,583,910. This latter increase is attributable to the inclusion in the 1943-44 Estimates of provision for the payment of emergency bonus to members of State services (estimated to cost £656,000 approximately); for increases in the rates and scope of unemployment assistance (£122,000), and food allowances (£118,500); for the establishment and maintenance of a special register of agricultural and turf workers (£104,000); for payment of a turf subsidy (£380,000); for subsidising the importation of fertilisers for agriculture (£634,000) and for the payment of increased agricultural produce subsidies (£200,000). In addition to these increase, which may be attributed to the emergency, there is also an increase of £120,000 on the Estimates for old age pensions due to an anticipated increase in the numbers eligible for pension.
The sum total of all these increases is £2,334,500. It will be apparent, therefore, that had the course of events during the past 12 months not rendered necessary the establishment of new, and the expansion of old, services there would be a reduction of more than £750,000 over the whole Supply Services.
The bill which we must frame for the coming year is indeed a heavy one. We have, however, succeeded to a large extent in maintaining the status quo despite very substantial increases in the amounts being made available for social and emergency services. Senators will have noticed that new Estimates introduced since 1938-9 account for more than £3,375,000 while there is an increase of almost £6,736,000 on the Army Estimate as compared with that year. In addition the Estimate for Local Government and Public Health contains £284,000 in respect of new emergency services, while the Estimate for Agriculture contains a sum of £634,000 for the subsidisation of imported fertilisers. All these new items which can be directly attributed to the emergency, and to the emergency alone, amount to £11,029,000. Reference to the Estimates Volume for 1938-39 will show that expenditure in that year was expected to amount to £30,322,710, and, compared with this figure the present Estimates Volume, minus the £11,000,000 odd for emergency services which I have just quoted, shows a reduction of over £650,000 despite the fact that our normal services show no diminution in either quantity or quality.
The Estimates for 1943-44, as compared with the current year's Estimates, including Supplementary Estimates, show increases on 46 Estimates and decreases on 23 Estimates. Four Estimates show no change. The total of the increases on the several Estimates is £1,530,331, while the total of the decreases is £1,265,948.
For the information of Senators, I propose to comment briefly on the principal increases and decreases, other than those to which I have already referred. Vote 6—Office of the Revenue Commissioners—shows an increase of £36,715. The main increase (£41,750) is under sub-head A and is due to salary increments and emergency bonus payments. This increase is offset by additional Appropriations-in-Aid. Vote 8—Compensation Bounties—shows a decrease of £26,000, due to the proposed discontinuance from 1st April next, as unnecessary in present circumstances, of the bounty on sugar and to the reduced quantity of waste tobacco qualifying for bounty. Vote 10—Public Works and Buildings—is down by £82,740. There is a decrease of £95,000 on sub-head B (New Works, etc.) owing to the difficulty in obtaining essential building materials. Sub-head J (5) is down from £11,000 to £6,500, as the various old drainage schemes are being wound up. An increase of £9,000 under sub-head E is due to higher payments of rent on certain Government premises. The sum of £17,500, included under sub-head J (1), is a new provision in respect of the River Fergus drainage. Vote 16—Superannuation and Retired Allowances—is up by £8,715, due primarily to an increase in the number of pensioners. Vote 21—Stationery and Printing—shows a decrease of £15,517. The 1942-43 Estimates contained provision for the purchase of fairly considerable reserves of paper which it is not necessary to repeat in 1943-44.
Vote 30—Agriculture—shows a reduction of £113,944. There is a reduction of £166,005 in the provision for subsidising imported fertilisers. A decrease of £10,234 occurs under sub-head N (1), owing to diminished activity under the Diseases of Animals Acts. The main increases which offset the foregoing reductions are £12,200 in respect of emergency bonus; £14,500 in respect of grants to county committees of agriculture, and £22,217 in respect of the provision of free seeds, manures, implements, etc., for certain allotment holders.
Vote 33—Gárda Síochána—shows an increase of £104,979, due mainly to an increase of £103,859 under sub-head A, owing to payment of emergency bonus. Sub-head D is up by £8,600, due to increased cycling allowance and the provision made against extra travelling in the event of a general election. Sub-head E is up by £25,879, as a general issue of uniform will be necessary in 1943-44, and prices of cloth, etc., are rising. There are offsetting reductions totalling £43,548, due primarily to the absence of provision for replacement of Gárda motor transport and reduced provision for L.S.F. equipment—a general issue of uniform having been made in the current financial year.
Vote 41—Local Government and Public Health—is down by £115,498. The bulk of the decrease is accounted for by a reduction of £150,000 in the amount being made available to public assistance authorities for the provision of assistance in kind to certain recipients of home assistance. There is also a decrease of £40,500 under sub-head S (2) due to a fall in applications for grants for private houses, etc., in urban areas. The chief offsetting increases are under sub-heads N, which provides an additional £49,700 for treatment of tuberculosis, and L (1), which provides an additional £26,000 for school meals.
Vote 46—Primary Education—shows an increase of £128,948 which is due mainly to the payment of an emergency bonus to primary teachers. Vote 47— Secondary Education—shows an increase of £24,195, due also to provision being made for the payment of emergency bonus to secondary teachers.
Vote 52—Lands—is down by £64,077. The main decrease of £75,000 occurs under subhead I—Improvement of Estates, etc.—and is due, in part, to less activity in land division and also to shortage of materials. This Estimate now contains provision for the Quit Rent Office. Vote 53—Forestry—shows a decrease of £36,241, due mainly to a decrease of £30,000 in the amount required for the acquisition of land. Vote 54—Gaeltacht Services—shows a decrease of £34,989, due almost entirely to an anticipated increase in the receipts under Appropriations-in-Aid from sales of rural and marine industries' products.
Vote 55—Industry and Commerce— shows a decrease of £18,735. Decreases of £37,850 under sub-head J (3) (Advances to Comhlucht Lorgtha Mianraí Teo.), and of £12,000 under J (1) (Advances to Comhlucht Gual Láthrach Shliabh Ardachadh Teo.), are offset by increases under sub-head A (Salaries) of £25,194; under sub-head B (Travelling) of £1,750; under sub-head J (2) (Prospecting for Coal) of £2,000, and under sub-head J (4) (Prospecting for Minerals) of £1,500.
Vote 56—Transport and Meteorological Services—shows an increase of £18,418, due mainly to the necessity of strengthening the staffs employed. Staff increases amount to £22,236 in respect of the airports, and £11,292 in respect of meteorological services. These substantial staff additions have been rendered necessary by a general increase in activity at the airports. There is an offsetting decrease of £18,875 on the provision for canal barges. Vote 58—Marine Service— shows a decrease of £21,441. The decrease is principally due to a reduction of £19,000 in the provision under sub-head J (1) for grants for the equipment of ships for protection against magnetic mines. Vote 61—Posts and Telegraphs—is up by £87,069. The in crease is due almost entirely to the payment of salary increments and emergency bonus.
Vote 63—Army—shows a decrease of £434,418. The largest single saving (nearly £247,000) is in respect of L.D.F. uniforms and equipment. Other large decreases occur under the heads of warlike stores (nearly £120,000) and fuel, light and water (nearly £157,000). The latter decrease results from reduced purchases of coal and turf from merchants and increased production of turf by Army personnel. The chief increase of note is £211,000 on the pay sub-head which is mainly due to the increase of 6d. a day granted to soldiers last summer. Vote 64— Army Pensions—shows a decrease of £77,172. The fact that fewer pensions are now being paid under the Military Service Pensions Acts is responsible for the fall of £92,165 under sub-head I of this Vote. An increase in the number of pensioners under the Defence Forces (Pensions) Schemes and in the number of recipients of wound and disability pensions accounts for increases totalling £22,098 under sub-heads E and J.
Vote 67—Employment and Emergency Schemes—shows an increase of £12,840. This Vote is an amalgamation, under a new title, of the former Employment Schemes Vote and Special Emergency Schemes Vote. Provision for certain of the services previously included in the latter Vote is now made in the Votes for Supplies and Local Government and Public Health. The Farm Improvements and Seed Distribution Schemes (£105,000), together with Urban Employment Schemes (£10,000), account in the main for an increase of £117,550, but there are offsetting decreases of £31,000 on Rural and Minor Employment Schemes, £31,800 on Bog Development Works, £27,450 on Miscellaneous Schemes and £14,460 on Salaries, etc., due to transfer of staff.
Vote 69—Supplies—is up by £386,545. The grants-in-Aid of the Turf Development Board (sub-heads K (1) to K (7)) and certain other Expenses (sub-heads H, I and J) in connection with the production of fuel have been transferred to this Vote from the Vote for Special Emergency Schemes. The large increase is accounted for (1) by emergency bonus and the provision for salaries, etc., and travelling expenses of additional staff, and (2) the provision for the first time of a sum of £380,000 to subsidise the price of turf.
Vote 72—Damage to Property (Neutrality) Compensation—shows a decrease of £174,750. Most outstanding claims arising out of past incidents have been finally disposed of. No provision is made in respect of claims arising out of possible future incidents other than minor matters such as exploding sea mines.
Those are the principal differences— increases and decreases—in this Volume of Estimates as compared with that of last year.