I move:—
That a sum not exceeding £5,256,620 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1954, for the Defence Forces (including certain Grants-in-Aid) under the Defence Forces (Temporary Provisions) Acts, and for certain administrative Expenses in connection therewith; for certain Expenses under the Offences against the State Acts, 1939 and 1940 (No. 13 of 1939 and No. 2 of 1940) and the Air-raid Precautions Acts, 1939 and 1946 (No. 21 of 1939 and No. 28 of 1946); for Expenses in connection with the issue of Medals, etc.; for Expenses of the Bureau of Military History; and for a Grant-in-Aid of the Irish Red Cross Society (No. 32 of 1938).
The gross Estimate for 1953-54 in respect of defence is £8,044,920 and, after anticipated Appropriations-in-Aid have been deducted, the net total is £7,884,920, which is an increase of £1,381,350 on the original net Estimate for 1952-53. Taking into account, however, the sum of £715,000 voted by way of two Supplementary Estimates, the net increase over the total amount voted for 1952-53 is £666,350.
As has always been the case, a considerable proportion of the gross total provided for relates to the pay, allowances and maintenance of the members of the permanent force. The provision in those regards over the various sub-heads amounts to £4,015,231 or almost 50 per cent. of the total gross Estimate. The Estimate has been prepared on the basis of the Peace Establishment of 12,743 all ranks, made up of 1,271 officers and 11,472 other ranks. The force is at present 130 officers below strength, but 29 cadets will be commissioned this year, a further 35 arein training and it is proposed to recruit 36 this year. Up to the present, the Establishment has also not been filled as regards other ranks, but recruitment continues and the Estimate was framed on the assumption that it would be possible to reach full strength by about the beginning of July. Whether our hopes in that respect will be realised is not certain, because the response to the current recruiting drive has not, so far, been at all as great as was the response to last year's campaign. Nevertheless, the drive will continue since, as has so often been stated in this House, it is the Government's defence policy that the full Establishment figure should be reached and maintained, not only because that figure is the smallest around which an emergency Army could be successfully built but also because a full and regular flow of trained men from the permanent force on to the First Line Reserve is absolutely necessary if that component of the Reserve is itself to be maintained at a strength which would make it of value in the event of mobilisation at any time becoming necessary.
The increase in the strength of the permanent force during the last year, and the influx of recruits, has done much to restore a feeling of realism to Army organisation and training. Training has progressed considerably, and the health and morale of the troops have been excellent.
In the case of the First Line Reserve, provision is made for a sum of £70,406 in respect of pay, allowances and maintenance. This is a reduction of £13,459 on last year's figure, occasioned by the fact that the number to be provided for is only 3,304 all ranks, as against 4,790 last year. This position arises, of course, from the fact that those who were placed on the First Line Reserve at the end of the emergency are gradually becoming timeexpired, while the flow from the permanent force to the Reserve which will in due course eventuate from the recent recruiting campaigns has not yet begun to make itself appreciably felt. The present strength of the First Line Reserve will naturally be a matter forregret on the part of all who remember the value of its counterpart—the old Class A Reserve—when mobilisation took place in the early stages of the last emergency, and must bring home to everybody the wisdom of the Government's and the Army authorities' desire to build up this Reserve by way of the transfer of trained personnel who have completed their time in the permanent force.
This year's provision in respect of the Second Line Reserve, which includes An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil and An Slua Muiri, amounts to £198,380, as compared with last year's £227,156. Here, again, it would be idle to pretend that I am satisfied with the effective strength of this component of the Reserve or with the attendance at annual camps and training. Undoubtedly, it is much more satisfactory to have a low effective strength of good quality than to have an illusory strength figure of which a large proportion merely represents non-effectives. Efforts to build up the Second Line and to improve attendances at training will, however, continue and, in the latter connection, provision is made for the first time for the payment of married rates of pay and marriage allowance to officers and men, respectively, in respect of attendance at annual training. This will put them in the same position as officers and men of the First Line.
Having thus dealt with the various components of the Defence Forces, I may turn to some other important features of the Estimate. First, I should like to deal with the provision at sub-head P in respect of defensive equipment. On the occasion of the debate on the recent Supplementary Estimate, I was able to inform the House that the position with regard to the supply of defensive equipment had improved and that it had been found possible to negotiate and place very substantial contracts for material of the most up-to-date and valuable nature. In all, it is anticipated that a sum of £1,800,000 will be spent during the financial year 1953-1954 on defensive equipment. The gross sum of £4,519,430 takes into account orders which have already been placed orwhich may be placed during the financial year, but the rate of delivery will result in a carry-forward of the sum of £2,719,430 to the next or subsequent financial years. As I mentioned in connection with the Supplementary Estimate. the amount proposed to be spent on defensive equipment may appear large, but a heavy leeway has to be made up, and it is absolutely essential that we should do everything possible to provide for the Army equipment of the nature it would require in the event of our country being attacked, and suitable to the conditions under which it would have to fight.
I may next refer to civil defence. The gross estimated requirement for civil defence as shown in sub-head P (1) is £86,139 but, as it is not anticipated that all the equipment ordered will become available within the year, a deduction of £30,000 has been made, leaving the net provision at £56,139. I am glad to say that civil defence is making definite progress and that, even though development is necessarily slow, we have made considerable strides towards attaining our preliminary objective, the establishment of the nucleus of a civil defence organisation in the cities and principal towns of the country. The civil defence officers appointed are at present engaged in surveying their areas in accordance with instructions issued by the Department with a view to preparing plans to meet the particular problems which may arise in their own areas.
Since the Civil Defence School opened in 1951, five administrative courses and six courses of instruction have been held and up to date 110 of those who attended the courses of instruction have received certificates as qualified civil defence instructors. We purchased during the year a number of rescue vehicles which are used for training at the school, and it is hoped to purchase more of these vehicles this year. We also intend buying general equipment for local training. The rescue training range at the school which was completed during the year has been favourably commented upon by experts, and has been of great assistance in training generally.
I think it might now be for the convenience of the House if, before concluding, I went through the sub-heads which show an appreciable upward or downward trend as compared with last year's figures. I will not comment on the sub-heads which show no great differences, but if any points are raised on those sub-heads, I will deal with them as far as possible in the course of my closing remarks.
Sub-head A shows an increase of £204,109 over last year's figure. I have already explained this when I pointed out that the actual strength is now closer to peace establishments than it has been and that the Estimate has been framed on the basis that the peace establishment figure may be reached during the year. Thus, the deduction in respect of numbers below strength is lower than heretofore, and this mainly accounts for the increase.
The increase of £10,014 under sub-head B in respect of marriage allowance is due mainly to an amendment of regulations which reduced the age and period of qualifying service for the admission of soldiers to the married establishment and which, therefore, has resulted, and will continue to result, in greater numbers being admitted. The increase of £9,374 in sub-head C arises almost entirely from increased rates of remuneration for the civilian employees attached to the Defence Forces.
As regards sub-head J it has been decided to renew all the Army vehicles over a period of five years. Some of the present vehicles have long passed their economic life and would be of little use in an emergency. Provision is made, therefore, under sub-head J for renewal this year of approximately one-fifth of the vehicles. The sub-head shows an increase of £49,125 which is due to the proposed purchase of the new vehicles and to the fact that, for the first time, because of recent legislation, provision has had to be made for a sum of £25,000 in respect of road tax for Army vehicles.
There is an increase of £130,989 under sub-head K for provisions and allowances in lieu which is caused bythe increased strengths to which I have already referred and to the increase in the cost of foodstuffs. There is also an increase of £122,034 in sub-head M —Clothing and Equipment. This arises from the proposed purchase of reserve stocks in continuation of the policy of building up, over a number of years, an adequate reserve to meet the situation which would arise in the event of a sudden emergency, necessitating mobilisation and extensive recruitment.
I have already dealt with sub-head P —Defensive Equipment—and sub-head P (1)—Civil Defence. Sub-head P (2)— Naval Service—shows an increase of £102,582, partly attributable to increased strengths and partly to anticipated increased expenditure on naval vessels and to a proposed purchase, at a cost of £30,000, of a reserve stock of 2,500 tons of fuel oil for Haulbowline. A reserve was not maintained up to the present owing to lack of accommodation for tankers at the jetty. The 21-foot jetty has now been completed, thus enabling tankers to deliver fuel oil into the main storage tanks at Haulbowline.
It is proposed to improve the accommodation at Baldonnel Aerodrome and provision is made under sub-head T for £28,000 to meet the cost of extra land required for the purpose. This accounts for the bulk of the increase of £30,544 shown under this sub-head.
The increase of £25,995 under sub-head W is due to the increased rate of contributions under the Social Welfare Act, 1952. Provision is also made for paying insurance contributions for officers and nurses who were not previously insurable.
It will be observed that a sum of £5,000 is provided by way of Grant-in-Aid to the Irish Red Cross Society as compared with £40,000 last year. Of the latter amount, £20,000 was, it will be remembered, voted specially by way of a Supplementary Estimate last February for the relief of distress. The Grant-in-Aid for other purposes last year was, therefore, £20,000. As I stated when introducing the DefenceEstimate last year, the Irish Red Cross Society, at the request of the then Minister for Defence, early in 1950 introduced a recruiting drive and a general reorganisation which included the building-up of emergency hospital supplies, uniforms and accessories. These activities are closely related to national defence. The society was not able to meet the exceptional expenditure involved from its own resources, but the stage has now been reached when it is anticipated that a State subvention of £5,000 only will be required this year.
The only other sub-head to which I think I need particularly refer is sub-head R-Fuel, etc.—which shows a very substantial reduction of £58,288. This is being achieved by the proposed use of certain reserve stocks of coal. That brings my survey of the Estimate to a conclusion. There is, I think, no more for me to say than that the increases, which are necessary, are directed to improving the capacity of the Defence Forces in regard to strength, training and equipment. Nothing has happened during the past year, nor is there any real indication that anything is likely to happen, which would make it anything but imprudent for the Government to relax its efforts to ensure that the efficiency and preparedness of the Army continue to be maintained at the highest pitch.
