Committee Reports > List of Committees > Dáil > 1951 > Committee of Public Accounts > Report - Appropriation Accounts 1948 - 1949

APPENDIX XXII.

RECOUPMENT OF LOSSES INCURRED BY COUNTY COUNCILS ON SALES OF TURF. (SUBHEAD M.)

The sum of £27,000 was provided under Subhead L of the Vote for the year 1949/50, and payments amounting to £23,560 were made in that year. It was anticipated that all payments to local authorities would be finally certified and paid before the 31st March, 1950, and consequently, token provision only was made in the estimates for the year 1950/51. During that year, however, the following additional losses were certified by the Department of Local Government for recoupment to the Local Authorities in question:—

Payment of these sums was made from Subhead L of the Vote for Industry and Commerce—1950/51, and the matter is finally cleared.

Further losses were incurred by the Limerick and Tipperary (S.R.) County Councils in the following circumstances:

During the Winter of 1946/47, the Department of Industry and Commerce directed that, with a view to relieving the shortage of turf in the area, the deliveries due to the Limerick County Council institutions under private contract should be diverted for the use of the public. Consequently, the Council were compelled to use portion of the turf produced by the Council for sale to Fuel Importers, Ltd. As their contractors’ turf would have been much cheaper than their own production, substantial additional expenses were incurred by the Council.

In December, 1949, a residue of 110 tons of turf produced by the Tipperary (S.R.) Co. Council in the year 1947 for sale in the area remained on the Council’s hands at Clonmel. Due to the free availability of other fuels and to the fact that turf was on offer at the Waterford dump of Fuel Importers, Ltd. at 20/-per ton, all efforts of the Council to dispose of the residue were unsuccessful. In the circumstances, the offer of the Council to purchase the entire stock for £75 was accepted. The loss involved amounted to £597 16s. 8d.

In the circumstances outlined above the following payments were made from Subhead L.L. of the Vote for the year 1950/51:—

Provision for the payments under Subheads L and L.L. was made in the Supplementary Estimate on the Vote for the year 1950/51. This disposed of all outstanding claims.