asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will state the proposals that were put forward by the Irish Government for the utilisation of the United States Economic Co-operation Grant Aid Counterpart Fund and the amount proposed to be expended on each such proposal.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - E.C.A. Grant.
Apart from a proposal to utilise £50,000 of the Grant Counterpart Fund for the financing of approved technical assistance projects, which was approved by the E.C.A. on the 8th May, 1950, no formal proposals have so far been submitted to the United States authorities for the utilisation of this fund. The matter has, however, been under active consideration for a considerable time past and exploratory discussions have been held on the subject with representatives of the E.C.A. mission. Detailed proposals for the utilisation of the entire fund are now almost completed, and I expect to submit them formally to the United States authorities within the next week or two.
If the Deputy will put down the question again in, say, two weeks' time, I expect to be in a position to give him, then, the full information which he has requested.
Has the Minister adverted to the statement made by the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, Deputy Childers, in Dáil Éireann on the 8th November, 1951? The reference is column 573, Volume 127, No. 3 of the Official Reports:—
"One of the most vital and important works that could have been carried out would have been to restore the lime content of the country but, as I have said, a scheme of practical significance like that was adopted only towards the end of the last Government's régime."
And the introductory sentence spoke of the expenditure of the American Counterpart Fund money on the lime subsidy scheme. If no proposal of that kind, as is now stated by the Minister, was put forward, why did the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs state in this House on the 8th November last that such a proposal was before them?
That is a separate question.
The Minister has stated that no proposal——
I shall have to study that.
The Minister has the reference.
We can have a discussion about it on the Vote on Account.
asked the Minister for Finance whether a separate account was kept in the Central Bank of Ireland or elsewhere in respect of the free grant given to this country by the United States of America through E.C.A. or otherwise; and, if so, whether he will state the balance to the credit of such account on every 1st day of March, June, September and December since the account was opened, and if he will further state the total amounts lodged to the credit of the account.
On 22nd December, 1949, a special account was opened in the books of the Central Bank of Ireland entitled the American Grant Counterpart Special Account to receive the Irish currency proceeds of grant aid furnished by the United States Government. Statutory authority for the establishment of the account is contained in Section 4 of the Central Fund Act, 1950; £6,102,387 2s. 0d. has been lodged to date to the credit of the American Grant Counterpart Special Account. Disbursements amount to £326,537 9s. 9d., consisting of (a) £305,119 7s. 2d. in respect of payments to the United States Government for administration expenses in accordance with Article IV of the Economic Co-operation Agreement of June, 1948, and (b) £21,418 2s. 7d., being the sum paid to the Exchequer in recoupment of the non-dollar cost of technical assistance projects.
The balances to the credit of the American Grant Counterpart Special Account on the dates mentioned by the Deputy were as follows:—
|
£ |
s. |
d. |
|
|
1st March, 1950 |
1,017,857 |
2 |
10 |
|
1st June, 1950 |
1,017,857 |
2 |
10 |
|
1st September, 1950 |
1,017,857 |
2 |
10 |
|
1st December, 1950 |
1,017,857 |
2 |
10 |
|
1st March, 1951 |
2,025,381 |
4 |
4 |
|
1st June, 1951 |
2,347,898 |
10 |
1 |
|
1st September, 1951 |
3,599,340 |
11 |
6 |
|
1st December, 1951 |
4,944,175 |
0 |
4 |
|
1st March, 1952 |
5,775,849 |
12 |
3 |
I hope that Deputy Dillon will advert to these figures—after telling the House that we had lost £6,000,000.
£5,700,000 appears to have been lost.
We know who put down this question.
Would the Minister mind behaving himself? I thought of these questions, drafted them and put them down for answer. Nobody else had any hand, act or part in them.
That is illuminating. I thought the Deputy had more sense.
The Deputy is going to show up the Minister for having failed to do his job—for having failed to get agreement before the 8th February and to get that £5,700,000 for the Irish people.
We still have it here.
It cannot be spent, though.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will state whether any, and, if so, what amounts have been received or disbursed since the 27th October, 1951, in respect of the Grant Counterpart Fund of the United States Economic Administration.
£1,091,397 19s. 8d. has been lodged to the credit of the American Grant Counterpart Special Account since 27th October, 1951. Disbursements in that period amounted to £63,983 1s. 5d. consisting of (a) £54,569 18s. 0d. paid to the United States Government in respect of administrative expenses in Ireland in accordance with Article IV of the Economic Co-operation Agreement of June, 1948, and (b) £9,413 3s. 5d. paid to the Exchequer in recoupment of the non-dollar cost of technical assistance projects.