asked the Minister for Finance whether he is yet in a position to publish the further terms of reference to the Compensation (Ireland) Commission dealing with cases of property seized or commandeered by British forces before the Truce.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - THE COMPENSATION (IRELAND) COMMISSION.
I regret that the negotiations in this matter with the British Government have been prolonged beyond expectation, but I am now in a position to say that they have been completed and that the further terms of reference mentioned by the Deputy will issue to the Compensation (Ireland) Commission before the end of the year.
Is the Minister aware that a similar question was put down several months ago by Deputy Byrne, and that since then similar questions have been put down by myself and other Deputies on an average once every six weeks during the present year; that in August the President informed us that the negotiations had been completed and that the terms of reference would be issued before the end of August? Can we have an assurance that the statement of the Minister as made to-day will not be similar to the former statements in this matter?
I am aware of most of the matters mentioned by the Deputy, except his suggestion that the President said that negotiations had been completed. They were not, in fact, completed until about two days ago, when a dispatch arrived from the British Government covering all except one very minor point.