I move:—
Go ndeontar suim Bhreise ná raghaidh thar £10 chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha í rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1940, chun Tuarastail agus Costaisí Tithe an Oireachtais, maraon le Deontas-igCabhair.
That a Supplementary sum not exceeding £10 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending 31st March, 1940, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Houses of the Oireachtas, including a Grant-in-Aid.
The actual sum asked for is £10, but, in reality, the figure we are asking for is £200 as a subscription to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Deputies are aware that it has been customary for a number of years—probably since the setting-up of Parliament here—for a subscription to be given to the local branch of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and the amount of the subscription used to be an amount equivalent to the subscriptions provided by members of the union who are members of the Parliament here. Some years ago, it was decided that the subscription was not sufficient to enable members to go on delegations and to the annual meetings in different capitals in Europe and, two years ago, the sum was raised to £100. That was continued in 1938 and, last year, further representations were made to the effect that there were special reasons as to why the cost of sending a delegation was greater by reason of the distance to be travelled and the heavier hotel charges in Oslo. After consultation between certain members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the then Minister for Finance the Minister agreed to give a maximum subscription of £200 in future, but that no further application was to be made for increased grants in future. It is on that understanding that the Minister at the time agreed to raise the total maximum sum to £200, and it is proposed that this subscription should be given every year thereafter.
