This Supplementary Estimate is necessary to meet increases in the cost of the services rendered by the Office of Public Works. The gross additional amount required, £1,219,000, is offset partly by estimated savings on certain subheads of the Vote, leaving a net requirement of £700,000.
The main item in the Supplementary Estimate is the additional sum of £600,000 required under subhead E for New Works, Alterations and Additions. The Office of Public Works has a large number of building and construction projects on hands at all stages of progress. With the Government emphasis on job creation and the allocation of additional money for that purpose as part of the 1977 Budget job-creation package, steps were taken to bring projects to the construction stage with all possible speed and contractors for works in progress were encouraged to expand their work forces to the optimum level. As a result of these measures and in spite of the long lead time involved in planning, trading procedures and so on, expenditure of £600,000 over and above the sum of £6,000,000 provided under this subhead in the original Estimates for 1977 is expected to have been incurred by the end of this year.
An additional amount of £336,000 is required for subhead H—Purchase and Maintenance of Engineering Plant and Machinery and Stores.
Practically all of this money is needed for the purchase of new plant for use on arterial drainage schemes. These schemes have a very high employment content and in order to keep them going at a reasonable level the purchase of new plant is vitally necessary.
Sums totalling £20,000 are required for subheads A2, B2 and C to cover additional administrative expenses, the main item being increases in the cost of postal and telephone services.
Subheads F2 and F4, for which additional sums totalling £138,000 are required, cover the cost of furnishing, heating and lighting State-owned property. Part of the increase is due to increased wages and costs and the remainder is due to increased demands which had to be met to maintain proper working conditions for State employees.
An additional amount of £60,000 is needed for subhead J.1, National Monuments, to cover increased wages and costs. Apart from providing a very valuable service in the field of conservation activity and archaeological research, the National Monuments service is a labour intensive one, providing employment in areas where it might otherwise not be available. A sum of £65,000 is required under subhead K—Appropriations-in-Aid—to cover an expected shortfall in receipts due to the fact that some major works being carried out on behalf of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs have not proceeded as rapidly as expected.
