Is gné bhliantúil dár gcóras airgeadais an Bille Príomh-Chiste. Bíonn gá leis chun a údarú go dtabharfaí as an Príomh-Chiste (a) an t-airgead a deonadh i gcuntas i gcóir na hathbhliana airgeadais agus (b) an t-airgead a deonadh tré mheastacháin bhreise agus nua i gcóir na bliana reatha ach nár deonadh cheana leis an Acht Leithreasa. Mar sin is é cuspóir an Bhille seo ná a údarú go dtabharfaí as an bPríomh-Chiste (a) an tsuim a dheon an Báil sa Vóta i gCuntas i.e., £16,616,000, agus (b) iomlán na suimeanna breise agus nua a deonadh sa bhliain airgeadais seo agus nár h-údaraíodh iad a thabhairt amach faoin Acht Leithreasa, 1945. Leis sin tugann an Bille comhacht don Aire Airgeadais airgead a fháil ar iasacht agus urrúis ar bith is oiriúnach leis a bhunú agus a thabhairt amach.
Mar a chífear ó Imleabhar na Meastachán, is é an méid atá ag teastáil uainn le haghaidh Seirbhísí Soláthair na bliana seo chugainn ná £47,766,428, suim atá £3,317,960 níos lú ná an soláthar a deineadh don bhliain seo agus na Meastacháin bhreise d'áireamh i gcóir na bliana seo. Is é méid na Meastachán breise ná £918,955. Fágann san gur laghdú £2,399,005 atá i gceist gan na Meastacháin bhreise d'áireamh agus is í an chúis is mó atá leis an laghdú seo ar chostas na Seirbhísí Soláthair ná laghdú tuairim is cheithre milleóin go leith punt i gcostas an Airm.
The Central Fund Bill is an annual feature of our financial system, and is required to implement the Ways and Means Resolutions passed by Dáil Eireann and these, in turn, are based on the Supply Resolutions for the individual Supplementary and Additional Estimates and the Vote on Account. The present Bill is designed to authorise the issue from the Central Fund of (a) the total amount of those supplementary and additional grants for the present financial year which were not covered by the Appropriation Act, 1945, and (b) the amount of the Vote on Account for the coming financial year. It also makes provision for borrowing by the Minister for Finance and for the issue by him of such securities as he thinks fit.
With regard to Section 1, in the current financial year 27 Supplementary and Additional Estimates, totalling £3,918,355 were presented to Dáil Eireann and passed. Five of these Estimates, totalling £3,028,869 were covered by the Appropriation Act, 1945, and accordingly Section 1 of the present Bill authorises the issue of the balance of £889,486 from the Central Fund.
Section 2: the total of the Estimates for the Supply Services for 1946-47 is £47,766,428, of which £16,616,000 has been voted on account, and Section 2 of the Bill authorises the issue from the Central Fund of this latter amount. The issue of the balance will be covered by the Appropriation Bill, which will be introduced after all the Estimates have been considered by the Dáil.
Section 3 empowers the Minister for Finance to borrow up to £17,505,486, which is the sum of the amounts mentioned in Sections 1 and 2, and to issue such securities as he thinks fit for the purpose of such borrowing. It also provides that the Bank of Ireland may advance to the Minister any sum or sums not exceeding the amount he is empowered to borrow; this provision is necessary because, under the statute of the Irish Parliament (21 and 22 Geo. III, Cap. 16, A.D. 1781-82) under which the Bank of Ireland was established, the bank is liable to forfeit any moneys advanced or loaned by it to the Government unless the advance or loan has been specifically authorised by Parliament.
I should like now to take the opportunity of making some general remarks on the Volume of Estimates for 1946-47, copies of which have been circulated to members of the Seanad. The total sum required for the Supply Services for the coming year is £47,766,428, which represents a decrease of £3,317,960 on the provision of £51,084,388 for the current year. This latter sum includes, of course, all the Supplementary Estimates passed during 1945-46 and these amount to £918,955, so that, exclusive of Supplementary Estimates, we can regard the decrease as one of £2,400,000, approximately.
This decrease of roughly £2,500,000 on the main Estimates for 1945-46 is due mostly to decreases of £4,330,878 in the provision for the Army (this being due to demobilisation) and of £799,814 in the provision for Industry and Commerce due mainly to decreased provision for food and fuel subsidies, reflecting decreases in the landed prices of imported wheat (largely freight reductions), and a reduction in the quantity of firewood on which the subsidy will have to be paid. Offsetting these reductions there are certain marked increases on which I propose to comment briefly.
Vote 10—Public Works and Buildings —shows an increase of £129,327. Of this increase £110,000 is spread over subhead B—New Works, Alterations and Additions. The greater part of the balance of the increase is attributable to expenditure on Arterial Drainage.
Vote 27— Widows' and Orphans' Pensions—shows an increase of £200,000 due to a decision to restore the State contribution to the figure at which it stood up to last year.
Vote 30—Agricultural Produce Subsidies—is up by £125,000 due mainly to the fact that the Dairy Produce (Price Stabilisation) Fund will be available to a lesser extent in 1946-47 for relief of this Vote.
Vote 33—Gárda Síochána—shows an increase of £141,488 due mostly to higher emergency bonus (£77,000), increased provision for clothing and equipment (£29,000), replacement of worn out cars (£25,000) and barrack maintenance (£8,500) due to the extension of allowances for barrack cleaning to provincial centres. These increases are offset to an extent of £32,000 consequent on the disappearance of the Local Security Force.
Vote 41—Local Government and Public Health—is up by £108,411. The bulk of this increase is accounted for under (a) treatment of tuberculosis (£48,000). (b) grants under the Housing Acts (£20,000), (c) grants to local authorities for the provision of special accommodation in households where a member is suffering from tuberculosis (£30,000). This latter item is consequential on the Housing (Amendment) Act, 1946, which recently passed through the Seanad.
Vote 56—Transport and Meteorological Services—is up by £132,511. Increases under this Vote are only to be expected having regard to the Government's policy of the development of air transport facilities. The main increase is in respect of constructional works on runways, etc. Other increases are due to staff charges and increased grants for harbour works.
Vote 61—Posts and Telegraphs— shows an increase of £181,410, due mainly to increased emergency bonus, additional staff charges to meet the continued upward trend of Post Office business, the purchase of miscellaneous stores in short supply for some years, and the provision of equipment to meet post-war engineering construction and renewal works.
Vote 62—Wireless Broadcasting— shows an increase of £112,437. To the extent of £92,000, this increase is due to the provision for a new short wave station. The balance is, for the most part, on programmes (sub-head B). Estimated receipts from the service are up by approximately £14,000 at £123,700.
Vote 64— Army Pensions—shows an increase of £201,720, of which £100,000 is in respect of Defence Forces pensions as a result of demobilisation. Of the increase of £78,000 on sub-head I— Military Service Pensions—£52,000 represents arrears of pensions already sanctioned, but not paid owing to war conditions, to persons residing outside the State—mainly in the U.S.A.
£30,000 approximately of the total increase is consequential on the passing of the recent Army Pensions Act.
The total of the increases on the various Votes, as compared with the financial provision for the current year, amounts to £1,904,256, while the total of the decreases is £5,222,216. The number of Votes on which there are increases is 52. There are decreases on 17, while two show no change. The Estimate for Supplies disappears, being amalgamated with that for Industry and Commerce, and we have an additional Estimate in that for repayment of trade loan advances.
I hope this brief review of the Bill for the Supply Services for the coming year will be of some help to Senators in showing the significance of the various figures appearing in the Book of Estimates and in establishing a proper comparison with the current year.