In concluding my introductory statement on the Estimate for the Department of Local Government, I invited Deputies to raise any matters affecting local bodies of which they had knowledge and experience. I assured them that, to whatever extent it was possible for me to reply to those matters, I would do so when concluding on the Estimate. When extending that invitation to Deputies, I had no idea that the number and variety of the questions raised would be as large and as wide as they have proved to be. Hence, I am afraid I will not be able to keep the general sort of undertaking which I gave in that regard.
There are, however, a few matters which were raised by Deputies of all Parties with which I would like to deal. These largely referred to questions as to what my general line of policy would be on the matters raised. For example, I was asked what my attitude would be towards the Local Authorities (Works) Act which was passed by this House in 1949. When that Bill which, ultimately, became an Act, was going through the House, I was a member of the Opposition. Although I am not objecting to the charge that was made here, still I think it has been unfairly charged against us that our attitude to that Bill was one of violent opposition.
I deny that charge. I admit that, on that occasion, we did what I would expect any Opposition to do, what I would expect the present Opposition to do when a measure of that nature or, indeed, of any nature is introduced here, namely, to make use of the machinery provided here to criticise the provisions in a measure about which they are in doubt, and to propose any amendments that they think would be of importance, or that would tend to improve it. I have looked over the discussions which took place on that occasion. I find that, far from there being any substance in the charge of obstruction made against us when that Bill was before the House, eight of the amendments which we, as an Opposition Party, moved to it were accepted by the Government without a division, and eight other of our amendments were defeated. These results indicate, I think, that at least there was some merit in the course which we pursued on that occasion.
So far as the administration of that Act is concerned, I want to draw the attention of Deputies to this fact, especially the Deputies who were supporting the Government and the Minister who was responsible for the preparation of the Estimate to which I am now speaking, that not one of those Deputies has drawn attention to the fact that the provision in the present Estimate in respect of that Act is £1,220,000 or £530,000 less than it was last year. While I am not in any way laying a charge against my predecessor that he had not good reason for reducing the Estimate in the way in which I have described, I suggest to those Deputies who have been critical as to what my policy in relation to this Act will be in the future that, although they were anxious to find out what my policy might be in the future, they offered no criticism of the fact that the money made available for expenditure under this Act will be £530,000 less this year than it was last year.