§
Motion, made, and Question proposed,
That a Supplementary sum, not exceeding £290,000, be granted to Her Majesty, to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March. 1959, for the salaries and expenses of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; of the Agricultural Land Commission; of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; and of the White Fish Authority and the Scottish Committee thereof.
§ 9.16 p.m.
§ The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. John Hare)The Supplementary Estimate for Vote I amounts to £290,000, of which all is needed for salaries. We need £150,000 to cover the recently announced 3½ per cent. increase in the pay of non-industrial staff. We have not been able to cut down the numbers of staff as quickly as we expected, largely because we have had more work to do, although in the last twelve months our staff has been reduced by 400. This accounts for an extra £208,500.
Against those additions, I can show a saving of £75,000 on fees to local veterinary inspectors for work under the Diseases of Animals Act, 1950. That is mainly because the original Estimate provided for fees for the herds we had freely tuberculin tested was larger. After taking into account the additional salary increases for those employed at Kew Gardens, the net increase is £290,000.
§ 9.17 p.m.
§ Mr. Frederick Peart (Workington)I wish to ask one or two questions on this Supplementary Estimate and to add one or two questions affecting other Votes. On the question of savings on work done by local veterinary inspectors, I should have thought the answer was—
The Chairman (Sir Charles Mac-Andrew)If the hon. Member wants to speak on other Votes, they will have to be called first.
§ Mr. PeartI should have thought that these were not only high, but that where L.V.I.s have done particular work in an area and where the work has been successful a large sum of money must have been saved. An increase of expenditure under Subhead A1 would represent a successful operation by local veterinary inspectors. I hope that if there is a decrease in fees in a particular area that represents a saving to the nation—in other words, that we are having healthier herds—and if any more has to be spent on the L.V.I.s it has to do merely with routine rechecking. If fees have been high that shows that the policy of attestation and clearing of areas has been successful.
There is another point which I wish to raise, if I may deal with it now—
§ The ChairmanIt is on another Vote?
§ The ChairmanWe had better get rid of this Vote first.
§ Mr. HareI suggest that it would be most helpful to the hon. Member, if at this stage, I say that I would like to take note of the points he raises and I shall certainly inform him of my comments one way or another, but the less I say now the more helpful it will be to the hon. Member.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§
Resolved,
That a Supplementary sum, not exceeding £290,000, be granted to Her Majesty, to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1959, for the salaries and expenses of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; of the Agricultural Land Commission; of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; and of the White Fish Authority and the Scottish Committee thereof.