Mar is eol do Sheanadóirí cheana, is dócha, tá gá leis an mBille Príomh-Chiste seo chun éifeacht dlí a thabhairt do na Rúin Mhodha agus Mheáin do rith Dáil Eireann. Is gné ghnáthach é an Bille dár gcóras airgeadais agus, dá bhrí sin, ní athraíonn foirm agus leagan amach an Bhille mórán ó bhliain go bliain.
Is é cuspóir an Bhille i mbliana ná a údarú go dtabharfaí amach as an bPríomh-Chiste:—
(i) an tsuim a dheon an Dáil chun slánuithe iomarcaidhe ar an Deontas i gcóir Oifig an Aire Airgeadais don bhliain airgeadais 1942-43;
(ii) lomlán na suimeanna, ag éirí as Meastacháin Bhreise agus Nua, a deonadh sa bhliain airgeadais seo agus nár húdaraíodh iad a thabhairt amach fán mBille Leithreasa, 1944; agus
(iii) an tsuim a dheon an Dáil sa Vota i gCuntas don bnliain airgeadais seo romhainn chun íoc as na Seirbhísí Soláthair le linn do na Meastacháin do na Seirbhísí ar leith a bheith á bplé go mion ag an Dáil.
Tugann an Bille cumhacht freisin don Aire Airgeadais airgead d'fháil ar iasacht agus pé urrúis is oiriúnach leis chuige sin a thabhairt amach.
Is é méid an Vóta i gCuntas i mbliana ná sé milliúin déag, céad agus sé mhíle nóchad punt (£16,196,000), suim atá beagán níos mó ná trian den mhéid iomlán atá uainn le haghaidh na Seirbhísí Soláthair. Mar fheicfeas Seanadóirí ó imleabhar na Meastachán, is é an t-iomlán atá uainn le haghaidh Seirbhísí Soláthair na bliana airgeadais seo romhainn ná seacht milliúin cheathrachad, céad agus sé mhíle seascad, agus trí puint tríochad (£47,166,033). Tá an tsuim seo milliún, cúig mhíle tríochad, trí chéad agus ceithre puint cheathrachad (£1,035,344), níos mó ná an t-iomlán a soláthraíodh, agus na Meastacháin Bhreise agus Nua d'áireamh, don bhliain airgeadais atá ag druidim chun deiridh anois. Bá é méid an tsoláthair sin ná sé milliúin cheathrachad, céad agus tríocha míle, sé chéad agus naoi bpuint ochtód (£46,130,689). Nuair a tugadh isteach Meastacháin na bliana airgeadais seo ar dtús ba é a méid ceithre milliúin cheathrachad, naoi gcéad agus dhá mhíle ochtód, sé chéad agus ceithre puint cheathrachad (£44,982,644). I gcomórtas leis an tsuim sin tá dhá mhilliún, céad agus trí mhíle ochtód, trí chéad agus naoi bpuint ochtód (£2,183,389) ag teastáil uainn i gcóir na bliana seo chugainn.
Is iad na fáthanna is mó atá leis an méadú so de dhá mhilliún agus dhá chéad míle punt, beagnach, ar chostas na seirbhísí poiblí ná (1) soláthar breise de mhilliún is ceathracha punt (£1,223,935) do Sholáthairtí le haghaidh cúnaimh airgid chun luach bídh agus ábhar teine a choinneáil gan ardú; (2) soláthar breise de bheagnach seacht gcéad míle punt (£681,644) do liúntais leanbhaí; (3) soláthar breise de chúig céad agus seasca míle punt (£560,000) ag éirí as méaduithe ar Bhónas (idir Bhónas costais mhaireachtála agus bónas éigeandála) a híoctar le Stát-hSheirbísigh.
The Central Fund Bill is required, as Senators are no doubt aware, to authorise the issue out of the Central Fund of grants voted by Dáil Eireann. The Bill is a routine feature of our financial system and its general form is stereotyped. The present Bill is designed to authorise the issue from the Central Fund of (1) the amount of the Excess Vote for the Office of the Minister for Finance in respect of the year 1942-43; (2) the total amount of those supplementary and additional grants for the present financial year which were not covered by the Appropriation Act of 1944; and (3) the amount of the Vote on Account to which the Dáil has agreed for the coming financial year pending detailed consideration of the Estimates for the Supply Services.
The Bill also makes the usual provision for borrowing by the Minister for Finance and for the issue by him of such securities as he thinks proper. The detailed provisions of the Bill are as follows:—
Section 1. This section authorises the issue out of the Central Fund of the sum of £14 10s. 5d. for the service of the year ended 31st March, 1943. This is the amount of the Excess Vote for the Office of the Minister for Finance passed by Dail Eireann during the current financial year.
Section 2. In the current financial year, 27 Supplementary and Additional Estimates, totalling £1,148,045, were presented to Dáil Eireann and passed. Two of these Estimates, totalling £5,800, were covered by the Appropriation Act, 1944, and, accordingly, Section 2 of the present Bill authorises the issue of the balance of £1,142,245 from the Central Fund.
Section 3. The total of the Estimates for the Supply Services for 1945-46 is £47,166,033, of which £16,196,000 has been voted on account. Section 3 of the Bill authorises the issue from the Central Fund of this latter amount. The issue of the balance will be covered by the Appropriation Bill, which will be introduced after all the Estimates have been considered by the Dáil.
Section 4. This section empowers the Minister for Finance to borrow up to £17,338,259 10s. 5d., which is the sum of the amounts mentioned in Sections 1, 2 and 3, and to issue such securities as he thinks fit for the purpose of such borrowing. It also provides that the Bank of Ireland may advance to the Minister any sum or sums not exceeding the amount he is empowered to borrow.
As I have already mentioned, the amount of the Vote on Account for the coming financial year is £16,196,000, which represents something more than one-third of the total net provision of £47,166,033 which, as Senators will have seen from their copies of the Volume of Estimates for 1945-46, is required for the Supply Services. The sum required for the Supply Services for the coming year represents an increase of £1,035,344 on the net provision of £46,130,689 for the financial year now ending. This latter sum includes, of course, all Supplementary and Additional Estimates passed during 1944-45. The original net provision for the current financial year was £44,982,644 and, as compared with this figure, the 1945-46 provision has increased by £2,183,389. This increase of almost two million two hundred thousand pounds (£2,200,000) is mainly due to the following factors:—(1) an increase of £1,223,935 in the Estimate for Supplies—Vote 68—(due mainly to increased food and fuel subsidies); (2) an increase of £681,644 in the Estimate for Children's Allowances—Vote 57 (owing to provision being made for a whole year as against only part of the current year); and (3) an increase arising from the grant of increased emergency bonus and ordinary bonus at the 110 figure, which combined account for, so far as payments to Civil Servants are concerned, £560,000 approximately.
There is also an increase of £140,574 on the Vote for Transport and Meteorological Services — No. 56. Apart from sundry small increases, the main increases here can be regarded as falling under the head of Civil Airports and might be classified under (1) staff (both personnel and bonus)— sub-heads B (1) and E (1); and (2) capital works—sub-heads B (5) and B (3). Certain staff and other charges hitherto provided under Vote 9 (Office of Public Works) and Vote 10 (Public Works and Buildings), respectively, will in 1945-46 be provided for in this Vote—sub-heads B (1), B (2) and B (5). The increased charges arise out of a continuation of our policy of airport development to which I referred last year when the Central Fund Bill, 1944, was before the Seanad.
Senators will observe that these increases are offset to some extent by fairly large reductions in other Votes. The greatest single reduction is on that of the Army—Vote 63—which shows a decrease of £420,420. Of course, Senators will understand that estimation in this case is necessarily conjectural. The usual explanatory details of this Estimate have again been omitted from the Estimates Volume as it would not be in the public interest to publish them. On the Vote for Agriculture—No. 29—there is a decrease of £282,605. This decrease is due almost entirely to a reduction of £335,361 in the provision for fertilisers subsidies—sub-head G (3)—off-set to some extent by certain increases under other sub-heads. This reduction is more apparent than real. It is not due to any reduction in the rates of subsidy. The amount provided last year proved to be in excess of requirements as the fertilisers could not be obtained. The proposed provision is based on the supplies which we anticipate may be available during this coming year. I have, however, already intimated to the Dáil that if fertilisers do come in and if we can supply to the farmers the fertilisers that we would like to supply to them, I will not hesitate to ask the Dáil to provide any additional money which may be required.
The Estimates for 1945-46 as compared with the current year's Estimates, including Supplementary Estimates, show increases on 49 Estimates and decreases on 17 Estimates. Four Estimates show no change. The Estimates for the Emergency Scientific Research Bureau and the Railway Tribunal have disappeared. The total of the increases on the various Votes amounts to £2,285,805, while the total of the decreases is £1,250,461.
I propose to comment briefly on some of the principal differences, other than those to which I have already referred, in the Votes as compared with those for 1944-45. The first noticeable one which appears is that on Vote 6— Estimate for Revenue Commissioners —which shows an increase of £106,710, due almost entirely to higher bonus and emergency bonus. On Vote 16— Superannuation and Retired Allowances—there is an increase of £54,020 due, to the extent of approximately £6,000, to the recent decision to allow the application of a bonus figure of 110 to pensions granted on retirements since 1st July, 1940, with effect as from 1st January, 1945. Vote 27—Widows' and Orphans' Pensions—shows a decrease of £200,000 due to a reduction in the State contribution to the Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Fund, as a result of an actuarial report that annual statutory contributions had been greater than was necessary to maintain present rates of pensions. Vote 29—Agriculture—shows a decrease of £282,605, which I have already explained.
Vote 30—Agricultural Produce Subsidies—is down by £45,000. This reduction is due mainly to decreased provision for cold storage and other allowances.
Vote 33—Gárda Síochána—is up by £149,056. Increases in the rates of pay of the force are responsible for this.
Vote 46—Primary Education—has increased by £93,694. Vote 47—Secondary Education—shows an increase of £35,460. Vote 48—Technical Instruction—is up by £51,728.
Vote 53—Forestry—shows an increase of £93,061, due to increased provision for acquisition of land and cultural operations, combined with the falling off of Appropriations-in-Aid arising out of large sales of timber.
Vote 59—Unemployment Insurance and Unemployment Assistance—is down by £102,195, as a result of a downward trend in the numbers qualifying for unemployment assistance, together with partial deletion of provision hitherto made for certain contingencies. Vote 61—Posts and Telegraphs—has increased by £160,470. Higher bonus and emergency bonus to this Department's large staff account for practically all this increase.
Vote 63—Army—is down by £420,420. Vote 64—Army Pensions—shows an increase of £37,000. Wound and disability pensions (sub-head E) account for the bulk of this increase as a result of concessions granted under the Army Pensions Act, 1943. Increased activity in the clearing of arrears of claims has resulted in a substantial increase under sub-head J.
The estimated requirements of the various services during the coming year amount to the largest bill which this State has ever had to face. The figure of £47,166,033 is a record one. There is no doubt that the State is being asked to bear a very heavy burden. We must remember, however, that we are passing through a most difficult period, one probably as difficult as any other in the history of this country and yet, in spite of manifold difficulties, we have succeeded in maintaining most of our services, particularly our essential social services, without serious impairment, as well as in embarking on many new services. New services and expansions of existing services arising out of the emergency are responsible for the bulk of the increase over the amount required for the last Estimates prepared prior to the outbreak of war, those for 1939-40. In the circumstances, and bearing in mind the very substantial rise in the cost of materials, which has increased the Estimates for many of our normal services, I think that we have done quite well and, perhaps, better than we might have expected.