When speaking on this Estimate last night I stated that it was an Estimate that would certainly require some answer from the Parliamentary Secretary in regard to the amount of money that is being expended and the value we are getting for it. I stated also that the only answer given here by the Fianna Fáil Deputies who spoke was to the effect that they claim credit for the £2 grant given to school children, and for the amount spent on unemployment assistance in the Gaeltacht. I claim that the Fianna Fáail Party have done more than that. I claim that not alone have they the people living on unemployment assistance in the Gaeltacht at the present day, but that the very fact that it was necessary to provide such assistance shows that the present Government has brought poverty to the Gaeltacht. It has demoralised the people of the Gaeltacht while the policy of the Government for the past five or six years has also been the cause of emigration from the Gaeltacht. That is what the Fianna Fáail Government can claim to have done for the people of the Gaeltacht during the last five or six years.
When we look back on all that they promised to do for the Gaeltacht, I think it is well that they should be reminded of what Gaeltacht Services cost this country in 1932 as compared with the amount which it is now proposed to expend in these Estimates of 1938-39. We find that in 1931-1932, the Estimate for Gaeltacht Services was £141,000, while for 1938-1939 the Estimate for Gaeltacht Services is £91,000. That shows a decrease of £50,000 on the amount provided for Gaeltacht Services by the last Government. When the Parliamentary Secretary claims credit for all that has been done by his Department for the Gaeltacht, I say that any reliefs that have come to the Gaeltacht have not been provided by Gaeltacht Services. You have minor relief schemes operating there under the Board of Works. You have local authorities contributing to road works and to home assistance. You also have the Minister for Local Government contributing in his own way through the local authorities for waterworks schemes and sewerage works in the Gaeltacht. Again, when we look at the headquarters staff, we find that in 1931-1932, there were 40 people employed on the staff at a cost of £14,253,whereas for 1938-1939 there are 45 employed at a coat of £16,545. Some explanation is needed from the Parliamentary Secretary of the increased expenditure on staff, seeing that the Estimate itself has decreased by £50,000. The expenditure on the headquarters staff has increased by at least £2,000 in the last six years.
As far as I can see the present Government are not taking the Gaeltacht seriously at all. They have a staff in charge of Gaeltacht Services at the present time but that staff appears to know nothing whatever about conditions in the Gaeltacht and they are not anxious to find out the conditions. The only reason I can assign for their not having discovered something about the conditions there, is that they have no way of relieving those conditions except by means of the ordinary relief that has been administered for some years. If they persist in that attitude, I think we might as well scrap this system altogether because we are only wasting money on this Estimate. We are wasting it in such a fashion that every other Department has to come in to the relief of the Gaeltacht. Deputy Bartley stated last night that the Government spent money on housing in the Gaeltacht but the money which they spent was provided for them by the previous Government in 1931-1932. All they previous to spend on that item for 1938-1939, £47,000, whereas in 1931-1932, £80,000 was provided. Money is being wasted in other directions and it cannot be provided for the Gaeltacht.
Again, in regard to teachers' residences in the Gaeltacht, you will find that £6,000 was allocated for that purpose in 1931-1932. The amount which is allocated for 1938-1939 for that purpose is only £50. We have a toy factory in some part of the Gaeltacht which is costing £4,600. I hope the Parliamentary Secretary will tell us the advantages that are being derived from the toy factory there, or the advantages he hopes to derive from it. I hope that industry will a success, and that it will not be handled in the way that small industry have been handled in the Gaeltacht in the past. Again, in regard to domestic instruction, which I believe is a very useful instruction, the same neglect is shown. It is neglected to the extent that in this year we are only estimating £247 for it, whereas six years ago a sum of £560 was spent on it. I cannot understand why there should be a reduction under that particular sub-head of the Estimate, seeing that a great portion of the time of the vocational committees established in every county in Éire is being devoted to the erection of vocational schools, principally for domestic instruction. Instead of increasing it, you are reducing the Estimate, and I think that needs some explanation.
Turning to loans for industrial purposes, it will be found that six years ago, £3,000 was provided, but now the amount is £1,530. If the Gaeltacht is to be dealt with along these liners, by reducing the Estimates and giving no value for the money, I think the next best thing would be to scrap the headquarters staff, because we are getting no value whatever for the money being paid for these services. There is a Central Marketing Depot for which £4,494 was provided in 1934, and this year it is proposed to spend £6,753. It is up to the Parliamentary Secretary to give us some idea of the duties of the board, and not to leave the position as it is. Coming to kelp and carrageen, all that is to be expended this year is £6,723. Deputy McMenamin stated last night that £10 a ton was being paid for kelp in Northern Ireland. If that is so, why can we not develop the industry here? Deputy Tubridy said he believed that they should go back to the system carried on by the old Congested Districts Board. Deputy Tubridy, Deputy Mongan and Deputy Bartley are familiar with condition in Connemara, and from what they know I agree that the Gaeltacht services should be put under a separate Department. I feel that there is an interlocking with the language movement, and that to get any return for money that is being spent we will have to separate these services. We cannot benefit while the other services are linked up with the language. We are all anxious to let language should be preserved, but Deputy Tubridy semed anxious to have some board set up to deal with the other Gaeltacht services and to let the Department of Education take care of the language. I hope the Parliamentary Secretary will take his job seriously, so that there will be some return for the expenditure, and that some help will be given to the people in these districts by giving them work that they can do instead of demoralising them with unemployment assistance and home assistance. As long as you continue along the present liners, and do not provide the people with work that would be to some use, the effect will be to demoralise them, and after some years it will be hard to change that situation. I appeal to the Parliamentary Secretary to consider seriously the proposals made by Deputies who come from the Gaeltacht, and who understand conditions there. If he gives consideration to their suggestions I believe he will be going the right road, and that the money expended in the Gaeltacht will be of some benefit to the people.
Notice taken that 20 Deputies were not present; House counted and 20 Deputies being present,