Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 8 Mar 1928

Vol. 22 No. 9

IN COMMITTEE ON FINANCE. - VOTE 57—RAILWAYS.

Mr. BLYTHE

I move:—

Go ndeontar suim bhreise ná raghaidh thar £10 chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1928, chun íocaíochtanna fé Acht na mBothar Iarainn, 1924, fén Tramways and Public Companies (Ireland) Act, 1883, etc., agus chun crícheanna eile a bhaineann le hIompar in Eirinn.

That a supplementary sum not exceeding £10 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1928, for payments under the Railways Act, 1924, the Tramways and Public Companies (Ireland) Act, 1883, etc., and for other purposes connected with Irish transport.

Mr. McGILLIGAN

This vote is explained in the footnote to the Vote itself. Under the Railways Act the old baronial guarantees were wiped out and the State pays to the Great Southern Railways Company £48,000 per annum over a certain period of years, and recovers half that amount by payments made to it from the previous baronial guaranteeing areas of amounts which are proportionate to what they used to pay for the baronial guaranteed lines. One county council has failed to pay that contribution over the years 1924-25 and 1925-26, and since that contribution was not paid there were withheld from that county council repayments that should have been made to it, arising out of previous payments it had made with respect to a baronially guaranteed line. It is now expected that the county council is going to meet its obligations. That being so, the moneys previously withheld will have to be given to it. Hence this Vote, because we expect that before the end of the financial year the money will have been recovered from the county council. We will then have to grant to that county council the money due to it which was previously withheld. This is really a book transaction.

Mr. LEMASS

Will the Minister state what grounds he has for anticipating that recovery of the amount due will be made in the current financial year?

Mr. McGILLIGAN

It was a promise.

Mr. LEMASS

Is he satisfied that the Dáil should take the action he suggests on the strength of the promise he received?

Mr. McGILLIGAN

I do not want the Dáil to believe that I am entirely without defences in case the county council still refuses to pay. If the county council continues in that attitude, then there are moneys due to it out of the Local Taxation Account which I will have transferred to this particular account on application made to the Department of Finance, and as a result, although this particular amount of money might be repaid to the county council, they will be mulcted in another way until they meet their debts.

Mr. LEMASS

What I want to get clear is the reason for the introduction of the Supplementary Estimate at this time—prior to the ordinary Estimates. If the amount had been paid there would be reason for the introduction of a Supplementary Estimate, but merely on the strength of a promise of payment I do not see why it should be necessary to do so now.

Mr. McGILLIGAN

The reason it was brought in was because the county council was to have held a meeting, and the secretary had definitely promised that the moneys would be paid. If the moneys are not paid we have two ways of meeting it. This money, although voted, need not be paid to the county council, and even if it is paid in this way there is another way of withholding a similar amount from the defaulting county council. This is a book transaction which had to be cleared up, and it has been introduced before the end of the financial year because of a promise that was made that the money would be in our hands before the 31st March. If it is not, there are other ways of meeting the new situation.

Mr. HOLT

Did the county council give you any reason as to why they were not paying this amount?

Mr. McGILLIGAN

No, no satisfactory reason.

Mr. HOLT

Because they have reasons.

Mr. McGILLIGAN

There is no reason why a county council should not pay its debts.

Mr. HOLT

The Leitrim County Council always paid its debts. I understand that this refers to the Leitrim County Council?

Mr. McGILLIGAN

Yes, it is Leitrim.

Mr. HOLT

They were always able to pay their debts until you sent a commissioner there, who left the county council finances in a state of chaos. That is the reason.

Motion put and agreed to.

Professor THRIFT took the Chair.