asked the Minister for Agriculture why he appropriated for fertiliser subsidy in 1942-43 £800,000 and spent only £323,000, in 1943-44 £634,000 and spent only £259,000, in 1944-45 £500,000 and spent only £806, in 1945-46 £120,000 and spent only £15,700, in 1946-47 £77,000 and spent only £30,400, in 1947-48 £198,750 and spent only £19,900.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fertiliser Subsidy.
Mr. Walsh
The sums provided for the purpose by the Dáil in the years mentioned were estimates of the amounts needed, based on factors which could not have been more accurately forecast in the circumstances of the times.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, does he seriously suggest to the House, in connection with the year 1944-45, that the Estimate of £500,000 and the expenditure of £806 represented as close an estimate as might reasonably be made. If this is so, may we assume that the Estimates made by the Tánaiste and the Minister for Finance for the purpose of proving that the country is about to go bankrupt are no more accurate than this Estimate of £500,000 for fertiliser subsidy out of which only £806 was spent?
Mr. Walsh
I would like to remind the Deputy, in answer to his supplementary on this question of Estimates, that, in 1950-51, a sum of £3,100,000 was provided for the land rehabilitation project and that only £569,000 was spent.
For the simple reason that I could not spend any more. I spent it as fast as I could. Does the Minister give the same excuse in respect of the lime subsidy for which he got £500,000 and spent only £806?