Deputies will understand that this is merely a token Vote for a nominal sum of £10, introduced in order to fulfil an agreement made on the introduction of the Supplementary Estimate for £32,000 on the 5th December last that if the House passed the Vote on that occasion without discussion an opportunity would be afforded to debate it retrospectively on the re-assembly of the Dáil. Under those circumstances I propose to explain the position as it was on the date of the introduction of that Estimate. In sub-head (I), Improvement of Estates, there was an estimated sum of £45,000 and an administrative saving on another sub-head of £13,000, leaving a net Supplementary Estimate of £32,000.
Under the Land Purchase Acts power has been given to the Land Commission to spend money on the improvement and rearrangement of holdings sold under the various Acts and for the provision of houses, fences, roads, drains, etc., on untenanted lands divided under the Acts. So much of the expenditure on improvements, as in the opinion of the Land Commission could be recovered, having regard to the security for the repayment of land purchase annuities, is added to the price of the land so improved and is repaid as part of the purchase annuities. The remainder is given by way of free grants. Improvement on lands already vested and subject to Land Commission annuities cannot be carried out without the prior sanction of the Minister for Finance. The original estimate under sub-head (I) was £161,650, which includes £11,500 for the purchase of tenancies on the Congested Districts Board estates; workmen's compensation, £500; livestock insurance, £50; nurses' cottages in congested districts, £500. Deducting this sum of £11,500, there is left a sum of £150,000 for improvement work, of which £112,000 had been expended up to last October, leaving a balance of £38,000 available for expenditure for the remaining five months of the financial year, a sum which is totally inadequate to meet the improvement of land already acquired and about to be allotted and also to carry out improvements on other lands which are to be divided before the end of the financial year. The winter months are as a rule the most favourable for placing allottees on untenanted lands on holdings, and considerably more land is divided in the winter months than in any other period of the year. Untenanted land cannot be divided without the expenditure of money on fences, drains and housing, so that the allottees may be in a position to work to the best advantage the parcels of land allotted to them. As to the circumstances which made rapid for the expenditure of money during the earlier part of the financial year, I can only repeat what I said on the introduction of the original Estimate, namely, that it is very difficult to estimate accurately at the beginning of the financial year what amounts will actually be required for improvements during that particular year. A great deal depends on the rate at which untenanted land is acquired.
In connection with the acquisition of untenanted land, legal and other difficulties arise which delay the negotiations for the acquisition of estates. Then, on the other hand, difficulties and delays which were anticipated may perhaps prove unexpectedly capable of speedy solution. I stated when introducing the original Estimate that although the inspection staff had been reduced slightly it would not make any difference in the progress of the Land Commission's operations during the year. I am satisfied that the rate of expenditure on improvements in the early part of the year has amply justified that hope. In addition, the Act of 1929 relieved the Land Commission inspectors of a great deal of work. A substantial percentage of the time of inspectors was engaged on the valuation and inspection of holdings subject to judicial rents. Now the inspection staff is free to concentrate entirely on the work of dividing and equipping untenanted land. In determining the amount of the Supplementary Estimate, details of expenditure under other sub-heads were carefully examined, and it was found that a saving of about £13,000 could be effected in this respect and that that sum could be devoted to improvements. It has been estimated that £195,000 will be required for improving estates during the financial year, so that an additional sum of £32,000 will be required to reach that figure. As stated in my speech on the introduction of the original Estimate the Land Commission now enter into purchase or permanent agreements with the allottees of untenanted land rather than temporary agreements, as the latter method entailed a considerable addition of work. The paramount reason for the substitution of permanent agreements for temporary agreements was the necessity of placing allottees of untenanted land in a position to borrow money freely for the development of their new holdings. The Credit Corporation refused to advance money to tenants holding land on temporary agreements. In such cases the Land Commission invariably took steps to have temporary agreements substituted by permanent agreements so that the tenants would be in the position to obtain loans from the Credit Corporation. The Joint Stock Banks also refused to advance money on temporary agreements.
