PART V

Finance of the Authority

44. —(1) The Board shall prepare, in respect of each financial year, an estimate in such form as the Minister may require of—

(a) the moneys required to meet the expenses of the Authority in the exercise of its functions and duties in that year, and

(b) the receipts accruing to the Authority from all sources in that year.

(2) The estimate shall have regard to the provisions of the annual programme of activities referred to in section 32.

(3) The estimate when adopted by the Board shall be submitted to the Minister for his approval.

(4) The Minister, in conveying his approval, shall indicate such (if any) amendments of the estimate as he considers necessary. The Board may, however, with the consent of the Minister, incur expenditure that—

(a) is not provided for in the estimate as originally approved by the Minister but is subsequently considered necessary, or

(b) exceeds the total net expenditure originally approved by the Minister, if such excess is subsequently considered necessary.

45. —In preparing an estimate under section 44, the Board shall have regard to the annual advisory and education programmes prepared by each committee of agriculture under section 36 (1) and to such annual education programmes as may be submitted by institutions providing courses of study in agriculture as referred to in section 12 (1) (d).

46. —The Minister may fix a date on or before which the estimate in respect of the succeeding financial year is to be submitted to him.

47. —The income accruing to the Authority out of the annual local contributions from committees of agriculture under section 39 (6) shall be used by the Authority solely for the purpose of carrying out such functions in relation to agricultural education and advice transferred to it under sections 12 and 15 as, before the commencement of those sections, were exercised or performed, or were capable of being exercised or performed, by a committee of agriculture.

48. —(1) For the purpose of assisting the Authority to carry out effectively its functions under this Act, there shall be paid to the Authority in every financial year, as may be necessary, out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas—

(a) a grant towards the expenses of the Authority in purchasing land and premises, in erecting offices and buildings and in purchasing machinery, vehicles and equipment of a capital nature, and

(b) a grant towards the other expenses of the Authority.

(2) The amount of each of those grants shall, subject to subsections (3) and (4), be determined by the Minister, with the approval of the Minister for Finance, after due consideration of any information furnished under subsection (5).

(3) The grant referred to in subsection (1) (b) shall not, subject to subsection (4), be less, in real terms, than the total amount provided by the Oireachtas in the financial year immediately preceding the date of the establishment of the Authority in respect of the activities of the Authority in the financial year to which the grant relates.

(4) For the purpose of subsection (3) “in real terms” means that full account shall be taken of any change that may have taken place in the value of money in the interval between the date of the establishment of the Authority and the commencement of the financial year to which the grant relates.

(5) The Board shall furnish to the Minister such information regarding its income and expenditure as he may from time to time require.

(6) Where there is doubt as to whether any of the items of expense mentioned in subsection (1) is or is not of a capital nature, the decision of the Minister on the matter shall be final.

49. —The income of the Authority shall, subject to sections 47 and 48, be applied in payment of the expenses of the Authority, including, in particular:

(a) the annual outgoings and expenses in respect of the offices, premises and equipment of the Authority,

(b) the remuneration and expenses of the chairman, the first Director and staff of the Authority, the expenses of the members of the Board and members of the committees appointed under section 29 and the superannuation allowances of the first Director and the staff of the Authority,

(c) the cost of any research, educational or advisory programme in agriculture carried out by, or on behalf of, the Authority,

(d) the cost of grants to defray the cost of specific programmes of agricultural research or basic veterinary research, specific agricultural research or basic veterinary research and grants to educational institutions,

(e) the cost of local advisory and educational programmes,

(f) the cost of the provision of scholarships and other awards for the carrying out of post-graduate agricultural or basic veterinary research and for higher education,

(g) the cost of providing and organising courses of study, seminars, conferences, lectures and demonstrations appropriate to the functions of the Authority,

(h) the cost of the publication and dissemination of the results of agricultural or basic veterinary research and of publications in relation to agricultural education and agricultural advice, and

(i) the cost of such other activities of the Authority, consistent with its functions (including any functions assigned under section 20), as may be approved by the Board and the Minister from time to time.

50. —(1) The Authority may, with the consent of the Minister given with the consent of the Minister for Finance and subject to any conditions imposed by the Minister, borrow by means of bank over-draft, or otherwise, moneys for the purpose of the administration and operation of its functions.

(2) Where the repayment of moneys borrowed under this section is to be spread over a term of years, the Authority may borrow the moneys on the security of the land and property (other than the estate known as Johnstown Castle and Demesne and referred to in the Johnstown Castle Agricultural College Act, 1945 , and in the Johnstown Castle Agricultural College (Amendment) Act, 1959 ) of the Authority or such other security as may be acceptable to the lender and may charge the income of the Authority with the payment of the principal moneys so borrowed and the interest thereon.

51. —(1) The Authority shall keep, in such form as may be approved by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance, all proper and usual accounts of all moneys received or expended by it, including an income and expenditure account, a balance sheet and, in particular, all such special accounts as the Minister on his own motion or at the request of the Minister for Finance, may from time to time direct.

(2) Accounts kept in pursuance of this section shall be submitted annually by the Authority to the Comptroller and Auditor General for audit and, immediately after the audit, a copy of the income and expenditure account, the balance sheet and any other accounts kept pursuant to a direction of the Minister, together with the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the accounts, shall be presented to the Minister who shall cause copies thereof to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas.

52. —The Board shall—

(a) as soon as conveniently may be after the end of each financial year, prepare and submit to the Minister a report of the work of the Authority in that financial year and a copy of every such report shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas, and

(b) supply to the Minister such information regarding the performance of the functions of the Authority as he may from time to time require.