I move:—
Go ndeontar suim na raghaidh thar £32,349 chun slánuithe na suime is gá chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1926, chun Tuarastail agus Costaisí na Suirbhéireachta Ordonáis agus na mion-seirbhísí a bhaineas léi. |
That a sum not exceeding £32,349 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1926, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Ordnance Survey and of minor services connected therewith. |
The work of the Ordnance Survey Department is chiefly to revise the county maps on the 25-inch scale at fixed intervals and to publish the resulting maps of the 25-inch scale, and the 6-inch scale. The 6-inch scale maps are produced by photography from the 25-inch maps. The Ordnance Survey also prepare other maps for Government Departments. During the past twelve months maps were prepared for the Office of Public Works, the Ministry of Fisheries, for the north-east Boundary Commission, for the Ministry of Justice and for the Irish Language Commission. In 1923, the normal programme of work was discontinued and a revision of large areas in the counties of Roscommon, Mayo and Galway, in which the late Congested Districts Board operated, was taken up and the field staff of the Survey is at present employed in these counties. The whole question of staffing the Ordnance Survey is in suspense pending the reorganisation which is proposed to be effected as soon as the Committee at present inquiring into certain aspects of the survey work has reported. There was a great deal of delay about the taking up of the work of that Committee, but it is now dealing with the matter. After it was appointed by the Dáil it held a couple of meetings, and the technical members of the Committee have had numerous consultations and have met frequently and it is hoped that the Committee will be able to report without any very great delay. The normal strength of the staff is 194, exclusive of cleaners. The estimate provides for a staff of 217, also exclusive of cleaners. The increase is caused by the re-instatement of victimised officers. That matter was before the Executive Council some time ago and it was felt that those officers who had been practically given the choice of enlisting in the British Army, during the European war, or getting out, had made good their case for re-instatement as victimised Civil Servants. But actually 34 of the staff of the Survey are seconded for service in other Government Departments. So there are really only 183 available for survey work, and that is rather less than the normal staff required. There has been no appointment, in view of the prospective reorganisation, to any vacant position in the Survey, apart from the re-instatements, since the 1st April, 1922.
Under sub-head (a) there are decreases amounting to £5,282. There has been an increase which caused the decrease not to be reflected as it should be reflected, from £245 to £224. There is a small increase in travelling expenses.
There are no very substantial changes in the other items. Incidental expenses as Deputies will see are down because the cost of the purchase of a new motor delivery van which was in last year's estimate is not in this year's estimate. The figure of £500 has been allowed for receipts from the sale of maps. Since the passing of the Land Act of 1923, the sale of large-scale Survey maps has increased very greatly, and if the sales are continued at the same rate in the present year the amount estimated for will be realised.