I move:
That a sum not exceeding £594,639,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 1988, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for the Environment, including grants to Local Authorities, grants and other expenses in connection with housing, and miscellaneous schemes, subsidies and grants including certain grants-in-aid.
I dtosach báire, ba mhaith liom a rá go bhfuil an gnó poiblí a thagann faoi mo chúram-sa mar Aire Comhshaoil thar a bheith leathan. Mar sin, ag féachaint don mhéid ama atá ar fáil againn inniu, is léir nach mbeidh sé ar mo chumas déileáil go a nochtadh sa díospóireacht a bhí sa Dáil Mheastachán seo. Ach beidh lá eile ag an bPaorach. Agus, dár ndóigh, bhí. Mar shampla, bhí deis ag Teachtaí a dtuairimí a nochtadh sa díospóireacht a bhí sa Dáil inné faoi mBille Tithíochta. Agus beidh deiseanna eile acu nuair a bheidh siad at plé le reachtaíocht thábhachtach eile atá tugtha isteach agam cheana nó a bheidh á tabhairt isteach agam go luath.
The Estimate is nearly £264 million less than the 1987 outturn. The reduction is due for the most part to the ending of the direct Exchequer subsidies to local authorities which assisted them in meeting in full or in part the loan charges payable in respect of past expenditure on their capital works programmes.
There is another major change in the Estimate this year with the inclusion for the first time of most of the local authority capital expenditure which was formerly financed by local loans fund loans. These changes follow from the enactment of the Local Loans Fund (Amendment) Act, 1987. This legislation enabled a range of circular payments which had arisen over time to be terminated. Overall, expenditure by my Department and local authorities, both capital and current, in 1988 will be £1,300 million or 7 per cent of GNP — £520 million of which local authorities will raise from their own resources.
Arising from the measures taken by the Government to rectify the public finances, 1988 is a transitional year for expenditure by local authorities and my Department. This transitional period presents an opportunity to rationalise and revitalise the functions and services provided. In this connection, local authorities were authorised to offer the Government's voluntary redundancy/ early retirement scheme to their staff after exhausting measures to maximise savings on manpower costs through natural wastage, redeployment, career breaks and job-sharing. At this stage nearly 2,500 applications for the scheme have been accepted by the local authorities. Financial assistance is available from the Exchequer to local authorities to meet in full the cost of all lump sum severance payments under the schemes.
Like all other areas of the public service, local authorities must continue to play their part in the present programme of adjustment in public spending and this is reflected in the level of Exchequer subvention being made available this year.
About one half of all local authority expenditure on current account this year will be funded in one form or other by the Exchequer. A sum of £264 million of this funding comes in the form of grants and recoupments for specific services while the balance of £196 million comes as rates support grants, to be applied at the discretion of the authorities themselves. The rate support grant provision announced in the Abridged Estimates last October has been reduced by £39 million to reflect the reduced debt burden on local authorities following the implementation of the Local Loans Fund (Amendment) Act, 1987.
There are two other adjustments to the rate support grant this year. The former Vote for Rates on Government Property is now included in the grant and £3 million were transferred from the grant to the Vote for Agriculture and Food as local authorities do not have to contribute to the cost of committees of agriculture this year.
Over the past year I have been examining options for reforms in the methods of financing local authorities and as soon as this examination is completed I hope to introduce measures aimed at restoring an appropriate degree of stability to local finances. Much of the necessary ground-work has already been done and I expect to be in a position to report to Government with reform proposals at an early date. Work on the development of proposals for the structural reorganisation of local government is also well advanced.
Since taking office, I have on numerous occasions referred to the need for a more enlightened attitude by public authorities and individuals to the care of the environment. I have taken action to strengthen my role as Minister in order to provide better co-ordination and closer links between research, policy formulation and implementation. Care for the environment is a major priority and it must influence the development of national policies and programmes. Good environmental conditions are now more highly valued than ever before and it is my intention that environment policy will continue to be developed and extended to reflect the needs and importance of this area.
The Dublin smoke situation is by far the country's most serious air pollution problem. The need to remedy it was one of the main reasons for the enactment of the Air Pollution Act, 1987, which this Government actively promoted through the Dáil upon assuming office. The Act enables local authorities, subject to ministerial approval, to declare "special control areas" or smokeless zones. Dublin Corporation have already completed a survey of some 800 houses in Ballyfermot and have made a special control area order for the area concerned. As objections have been made to the order, I am now arranging for an oral hearing to be held and will make a decision as soon as possible.
I hope to announce shortly the details of a scheme to provide financial assistance towards the cost of the adaptation of domestic heating systems in areas where smoke control measures may be necessary. This scheme would apply to all suitable appliances, whether for gas or solid fuels. The estimate includes for the first time a provision for grants of this kind and expenditure of up to £250,000 is envisaged this year.
On my initiative, the budget included a concession on the excise duty applying to unleaded petrol. This removed the price disadvantage caused by the additional costs of producing and distributing unleaded petrol so that it now retails at the same price as premium leaded petrol.
I am continuing to press the distributors of petroleum products to expand the number of outlets for unleaded petrol to ensure that a balanced distribution network is put in place by late 1989, as required under the terms of an EC Directive. I am pleased to acknowledge the efforts to date of Esso, Shell and Texaco. My Department have already prepared literature containing information on the subject of unleaded petrol, and later this year I intend to launch a promotional campaign, aimed particularly at the owners of modern cars, to stimulate greater use of unleaded petrol. I have also established a steering committee, which will be chaired by my Department, to develop and oversee a comprehensive action programme. The motor trade and the oil distribution companies are being invited to participate and I will be addressing the first meeting on 9 June.
An extension of the number of outlets selling unleaded petrol will contribute to the current campaign to promote Ireland as an attractive tourist venue. Growing numbers of continental motorists are now using unleaded petrol and the wide availability of outlets for such petrol will help Bord Fáilte to attract more motorised tourists to this country.
Following a number of serious water pollution incidents last summer, a Cabinet committee under my chairmanship developed a comprehensive and integranted programme of measures to combat water pollution. A programme of farm surveys has been carried out in recent months and work on the implementation of the various other measures in the programme is in progress. I hope to present the Local Government (Water Pollution) Bill, 1988, to the House shortly.
A provision of £1.75 million is made in subhead R for research, analytical and other services concerning environmental and infrastructural matters. This replaces the specific provision for a grant-in-aid to An Foras Forbartha which was included in the Vote in previous years. Details of the revised arrangements for the provision of essential research and related services were announced last December. They include the establishment of a new environmental research unit in my Department and the transfer of certain functions of An Foras Forbartha and the staff involved, to local authorities and other public bodies. I intend that these arrangements will be fully in place shortly.
About £280 million is being spent on road works this year, as part of the process of bringing our roads, particularly our national roads and the principal access routes to our ports, and airports, up to the necessary standards. I have carried out a comprehensive review of the road development programme and work on a draft Blueprint for Road Development is practically completed. The Government have also approved my proposals in relation to the setting up of the National Roads Authority. I will be making a detailed statement in relation to the draft blueprint and the National Roads Authority later this month.