asked the Minister for Local Government the amount of allocations made to local authorities by his Department for all roads for the financial year 1966-67; and the amount paid at this date.
15.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Road Work Allocations.
14.
asked the Minister for Local Government the amount of allocations made to Louth County Council by his Department for all roads for the financial year ending 31st March 1967; and the amount paid at this date.
I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 14 and 15 together.
I should like to know if the situation in relation to these two questions is the same as for the others. Is it the same situation?
It is the same situation.
The subject matter should be raised on the Adjournment so that it can be debated.
I had not finished the reply when I was interrupted by the Deputy.
The amount of Road Fund grants, including estimated provision for the main road upkeep grant, allocated to date to all road authorities for 1966-67 is £9,273,850 and to Louth County Council £108,156. Payments of Road Fund grants to date in 1966-67 to all road authorities amount to £1,606,139 and to £13,911 in the case of Louth County Council.
Arrangements are at present being made by the Department of Finance for a further transfer of £750,000 from the Exchequer to the Road Fund and this transfer will enable further payments to be made to road authorities, including Louth County Council, within the next few weeks.
There should have been a tabular statement.
Mr. O'Malley
There could have been a tabular statement.
If the Minister were consistent, there would have been.
Does the Minister not feel that the amount paid out up to this date in the financial year, after the summer period when most of these works are carried out is, in fact, extremely low, and must leave these local authorities in an extremely difficult position, as has been stated by Deputies on all sides of this House?
I could not, offhand, state how they compare with the previous amounts in relation to the total overall allocations. I am not looking for a way out here. The banks closed in mid-May and did not re-open until mid-August. The result was that lodgments could not be made during that period to the local motor tax accounts for ultimate transfer to the central motor tax account and the Exchequer. In these circumstances, it is quite conceivable that the amounts then being put through by way of transfer to the Road Fund by the Minister for Finance would, without doubt, have been negligible up to midAugust in comparison with what would have been transferred in a normal year.
Does the Minister not consider that the present transfer of £750,000 which he has indicated is miserably small and will have little effect on the difficult position of the local authorities?
The Deputy is fully aware that this matter of moneys spent after the event, so far as road work is concerned, has always been so. It has always been the pattern. It is not a pattern about which I as a member of a local authority feel happy, but it has been the pattern, and the money, in fact, is spent and the works done in all cases before the money is received.
And the overdraft is borne by the local authority?
And we have £8 million at the moment.
Yes, or as near as makes no difference.