I think Labour Deputies have almost lost hope of any rise in their emoluments. Deputy O'Connell's Union has, I think, lost hope if Deputy O'Connell has not. Looking down the list in a most arbitrary way— I only took out a few items—Secret Service is less than a fourth of what was voted last year. I do not know whether Deputy Wilson's discovery last night that Parliamentary secretaries were possibly lurking under cover of Secret Service and have now come out, has had anything to do with that. But the fact remains that where we voted £50,000 last year for Secret Service, we are only asked to vote £12,000, or less than one-fourth, now. The average of the Vote on Account is about one-fourth of the year's expenditure. I look down the list and I find that the Gárda Síochána are asking for more than one-third of last year's Vote, though, as I understand, there is to be a cut in their pay and they will not, presumably, require as much money. On the other hand, an important Ministry—the Ministry for Local Government—are asking for less than one-fourth of last year's Estimate. Whether that is the effect of the criticism of Deputy Corish, and that the Ministry of Local Government is feeling small and drawing in its wings, I do not know Again, Hospitals and Charities are the most surprising of the lot. Hospitals and Charities last year were £16,000. They are asking for £12,000 on account, or just three-fourths of what they had before. I can only suppose that the Government is seized with penitence, and is making its soul with charitable donations. We come then to an extremely important Ministry, the Ministry of External Affairs, which is asking a Vote on Account of less than one-fifth of what it had last year. The Ministry of Fisheries, on the other hand, is asking for a good deal more than the original Vote. The Minister for Finance explained that, to a certain extent, but while he explained that appropriations in aid do not fall until late in the year, he told us nothing about those invested funds of the Congested Districts Board in the Church Consolidation Fund, or whatever it is, which bring in a certain amount of income. He did not explain how the balance would be redressed. I have taken these figures more or less haphazard, and they show no governing principle. The Government Departments have not been rationed. I have a feeling that the Departments have been asked, "How much do you want on account to carry you on to such and such a date." That, to my mind, is not the function of the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of Finance have taken these things from the Departments, whether they were excessive or whether they were low. The Ministry of Finance should have said, "You can have so much to carry you on to such and such a date, and not one penny more."
I leave out that point of discrepancies, and I come to the other point. The Minister has quoted the practice at Westminster. So far as my recollection goes, the practice at Westminster is not to crowd discussion on the Estimates into the dog-days. I understand that they have already at Westminster discussed the Army and Air Force Estimates, and, in practice, the greater part of April and the early part of May are given to the discussion of Supply. I am speaking from memory, but that is my impression. Only a few odd Estimates, in which people do not take much interest, such as the Scottish Estimates, the Indian Budget, and so on, are crowded into the later days of June and July. If we pass this Vote on Account in its entirely now, we will be crowding our Estimates, which are probably the most important things we discuss here. Legislation affects individuals. Estimates affect taxation and taxation affects every person in the Saorstát. If we do that, we shall be discussing them as a tired Dáil, in hot weather, languidly going through and trying to keep a House. I think that would be a misfortune. Consequently, if we pass this very large Vote on Account—this Vote on Account which is £909,000 larger than the National loan; which is a quarter of the year's expenditure—it will be in the power of the Government to adjourn us. They will have the money they want, and, if our debates are inconvenient, it will be in their power to adjourn us for at least three months. By doing so we shall abdicate our constitutional function. I, for one, cannot support that. I agree that a Vote on Account is necessary, but I think this Vote, produced at such short notice, with no more explanation than we have just received from the Minister, is an excessive Vote. Therefore, I would ask the Dáil to consider very seriously before they decide upon it.