Tairgim:
Go ndeonófar suim nach mó ná £358,000 chun slánaithe na suime is gá chun íoctha an mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31ú lá de Mhárta, 1964, le haghaidh Tuarastail agus Costais Oifig an Aire Leasa Shóisialaigh.
Is gnách Meastacháin mo Roinne-se a phlé le chéile, agus le cead an Cheann Chomhairle, tá sé ar intinn agam leanúint de'n nós sin i mbliana.
'Sé suim iomlán na dtrí Meastachán as a bhfuil mo Roinn-se freagrach ná £28,684,000. Is méadú de £2,682,000 é sin i gcomórtas le Meastacháin na bliana 1962-63, ach nuair a cuirtear san áireamh na Meastacháin Fhorlíontacha le h-aghaidh na bliana sin, níl ach £618,000 sa bhreis á lorg i gcóir na bliana 1963-64.
I gcás Vóta 49—Oifig an Aire Leasa Shóisialaigh—tá méadú glan de £4,390 i gcomparáid le Meastachán na bliana 1962-63. 'Séard is cúis leis an difríocht bheag seo ná go bhfuil soláthar breise de tuairim is £13,000 á dhéanamh le h-aghaidh tuarastal, costas taistil agus caiteachas ilghnéitheach eile agus go bhfuiltear ag súil le £8,600 sa bhreis a fháil faoi Leithreasa-i-gCabhair.
£8,020,000 atá sa Mheastachán le h-aghaidh Árachais Shóisialaigh. Is méadú de £1,741,000 é sin i gcomparáid le Meastachán na bliana 1962-63, ach nuair a cuirtear san áireamh an Meastachán Forlíontach de £1,370,000 i gcóir na bliana sin níl ach £371,000 de mhéadú i mbliana. 'Séard is mó is cúis leis an méadú seo ná go bhfuil costas na bhfeabhsanna a rinneadh í rátaí árachais shóisialaigh ó thosach mí Eanáir seo caite iníochta ar feadh na bliana seo go léir. Tuairim is £2,100,000 de bhreis caiteachais atá inchurtha síos don chúis sin. Ar an dtaobh eile táthar ag súil le breis ioncaim de £1,522,000 toisc na rátaí nua ranníocaí a bheith i bhfeidhm ar feadh na bliana 1963-64 go léir. Tagann athraithe eile ó mion difríochtaí san claonadh caiteachais agus ioncaim san dá bhliain atá i gceist.
I gcás Cúnaimh Shóisialaigh—Vóta 51—tá £20,127,000 de dhíth. Is méadú de £937,000 é sin ar bhun-Mheastachán na bliana 1962-63, agus méadú de £243,000 nuair a cuirtear an Meastachán Forlíontach le h-aghaidh na bliana sin san áireamh. Siad na seirbhísí is mó is cúis leis an méadú ná pinsin seanaoise, cúnamh dífhostaíochta, agus pinsin do bhaintreacha agus do dhilleachtaí. Mar is cuimhin le Teachtaí, méadaíodh na rátaí cúnaimh a bhaineann leis na seirbhísí sin le h-éifeacht ó thosach mí Lúnasa, 1962.
Bhéadh costas na bhfeabhsanna sin níos aoirde fós marach go bhfuil laghdú i líon na bpinsinéirí toisc níos mó díobh a bheith i dteideal pinsean ranníocach.
It is customary to take the three Estimates for the Department of Social Welfare together. I propose, therefore, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle and of the House, to deal with the Estimates as a group. It will be open to Deputies to raise points on any of the three Votes in the subsequent discussion.
The three Votes and the separate amounts being sought from the Exchequer for 1963-64 are as follows:
|
£ |
|
|
Vote 49—Office of the |
|
|
Minister for Social Welfare |
537,000 |
|
Vote 50—Social Insurance |
8,020,000 |
|
Vote 51—Social Assistance |
20,127,000 |
The total of these is £28,684,000
I shall now deal with the three Estimates in sequence.
In the Estimate for the Office of the Minister for Social Welfare, a net sum of £537,000 is provided to meet the salaries and other administration expenses borne on the Vote. The sum sought is only £4,390 higher than the Vote for 1962-63.
The increases in the payment subheads as compared with the previous year total £12,990. This sum is partly offset by expected higher receipts under the Appropriations in Aid Subhead totalling £8,600.
The increase in the payment subheads is mainly attributable to an increase of about £10,000 on the provision for salaries, wages and allowances. This is the net result of casual variations, up and down, in the items making up the total provision of £1,360,000 for the year. The number of staff for whom provision is made shows a net reduction of eight as compared with 1962-63.
The higher receipts under Appropriations in Aid are mainly due to an increase in the sum due to be recovered from the Social Insurance Fund in respect of the expenses incurred by my Department in administering the scheme of social insurance. The increased receipts are a direct result of the increased expenditure under the payment subheads.
The Estimate of £8,020,000 for Social Insurance for 1963-64 is £371,000 higher than the Vote for 1962-63 when the Supplementary Estimate of £1,370,000 in 1962-63 is taken into account. The Estimates Volume does not show the true position as it was printed before the Supplementary Estimate was passed. The increase of £371,000 occurs under Subhead A of the Estimate. That subhead provides for the payment by the Exchequer into the Social Insurance Fund of the estimated amount by which the expenditure of the Fund will exceed its income in 1963-64. The estimated amount is £7,982,000.
The estimated expenditure of the Fund in 1963-64 is £21,310,000 made up as follows:—
|
£ |
|
|
Old age (contributory) pension |
5,630,000 |
|
Disability benefit |
5,958,000 |
|
Widow's and orphan's (contributory) pension |
4,000,000 |
|
Unemployment benefit |
3,514,000 |
|
Treatment benefit |
415,000 |
|
Maternity benefit |
151,000 |
|
Marriage grant |
76,000 |
|
Administration |
1,566,000 |
|
Total |
£21,310,000 |
The estimated income of the Social Insurance Fund in 1963-64 is £13,328,000. It consists of £12,600,000 from employment contributions, £613,000 in income from investments of the Fund and £115,000 in receipts under Reciprocal Arrangements.
The Exchequer contribution to the Fund for 1963-64 under Subhead A is £7,982,000 which is £371,000 more than the corresponding provision for 1962-63. This is the net result of variations on the items constituting the expenditure and income of the Fund. On the expenditure side, the main increases are £714,000 on old age (contributory) pension, £709,000 on disability benefit, £482,000 on widow's and orphan's (contributory) pension and £301,000 on unemployment benefit. On the income side there are increased receipts of £1,700,000 from employment contributions and £115,000 under reciprocal arrangements.
The increases in benefit expenditure in 1963-64, as compared with 1962-63, are mainly due to the increased benefit rates under the Socal Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1962, which became payable from the beginning of January, 1963. Aggregate increases of £2,094,000 in the benefit estimates for 1963-64, as compared with 1962-63 represent the extra cost due to the increased rates being payable for the whole of 1963-64 as against three months in 1962-63. Another factor in the increase is a rise in the number of old age (contributory) pensions estimated to cost an additional sum of £208,000 in 1963-64. This is partly offset by a reduction of £119,000 in the provision for unemployment benefits attributable to an expected decrease in the numbers of claims in 1963-64.
On the income side the estimated increase of £1,700,000 in receipts from employment contributions is due, to the extent of £1,522,000, to the fact that the 1963-64 figure provides for the effect of the revision in rates under the 1962 Act for a full year as compared with three months in 1962-63. The remainder of the increase, £178,000, is attributed to higher stamp sales resulting from an expected improvement in the employment position in 1963-64.
As regards Social Assistance the net provision of £20,127,000 for 1963-64 is £243,000 greater than the Vote for 1962-63, including the Supplementary Estimate of £694,000. As in the case of Social Insurance, the Supplementary Estimate for Social Assistance for 1962-63 was passed after the Estimates Volume had been printed. The increase of £937,000 shown in the Volume does not therefore show the correct comparison between the two years.
The main items in the increase of £243,000 as compared with the previous year are £92,000 on old age pensions, £88,000 on unemployment assistance, and £17,000 on widows' and orphans' non-contributory pensions. Increases on four other subheads amounting to £28,500 in all and net decreases in appropriations in aid totalling £17,500 make up the balance of the £243,000.
The increased provision for old age and widows' and orphans' non-contributory pensions and unemployment assistance is a result of the increases in rates and other improvements effected by the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1962, as from the beginning of August, 1962. The difference in the estimated cost of these increases for the whole of 1963-64, as compared with the provision for eight months of 1962-63, amounts in the aggregate to £460,000. This increase is offset to some extent by anticipated reductions of £202,000 and £35,000 in the provisions for non-contributory old age pensions and widows' and orphans' non-contributory pensions, respectively, arising from expected decreases in the numbers of pensioners under the non-contributory codes. In the case of unemployment assistance, there is a reduction of £26,000 as it is expected that there will be a lower level of claims in 1963-64.
I have outlined briefly the causes of the main variations in the Estimates for 1963-64, as compared with those for 1962-63. The position is, of course, complicated as a result of the passing of the Supplementary Estimates towards the end of March, but I will endeavour to give Deputies any additional information they may require on individual items.
I should like to add that the sums mentioned for Social Insurance and Social Assistance do not take account of the cost of the proposed improvements in these services announced by the Minister for Finance in the Budget Statement. Provision for these increases will be made by way of Supplementary Estimates later in the financial year after the necessary legislation has been passed.
