With regard to what the Minister has just said, I would like to point out that Deputy Ryan, the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee last year, has already asked the President to set apart a day for the discussion of the Report of the Committee, and the President has agreed to set such a day apart as soon as Parliamentary time suits. I do not think, as far as my recollection of last year goes, that the debate was conducted in any sort of partisan or controversial spirit, or in any spirit except that which was proper to the subject under discussion.
With regard to the Minister's statement as to the repayment to the British Government of the cost of the audit of the Royal Irish Constabulary pensions, I do not think it completely justified him in making this payment to say that while officers of the Comptroller and Auditor-General here do not examine these accounts, but instead accept the certificate of the British Comptroller and Auditor-General, the British reciprocate by accepting the certificate of our Comptroller and Auditor-General in respect of moneys which we expend on their behalf, because a very important difference in the accounts is involved. I think the amount which is disbursed over here by our Exchequer on behalf of the British Government is comparatively small as compared with the amount for which we are responsible to them. I do not think that what we have got to secure recoupment from the British Government amounts in all to a couple of hundred thousand pounds at the very most, whereas in our case, even under one sub-head in Vote 16, we have to repay them over £1,170,000, and under another sub-head over £120,000. I do not think, in circumstances like those that the mere fact that the British and ourselves have a reciprocal agreement justifies the Minister in continuing that agreement, and in asking this House to repay to the British the cost of the audit of the Royal Irish Constabulary pensions account.
We have got to remember, as a matter of fact, that the whole attitude of the British Government in regard to the Royal Irish Constabulary at the time of the Treaty was a very peculiar one. They did not allow that force to come under the control of the Provisional Government at all; they retained it under their own control. Possibly they had good reasons for that. Possibly they wished the members of that force to feel that they were still their servants and were still their agents, and that they would remain their servants and their agents when they were paying them their pensions, even though we are only an intermediary in this case for the passing of Irish taxpayers' money into the pockets of the British pensioners. It is quite possible that the British Government had very good reasons for the course which they adopted with regard to the Royal Irish Constabulary.
It is just a possibility—I do not state it at all as beyond doubt—that the British are paying to ex-members of the R.I.C. pensions which are not justly due to them, even under the terms of the Treaty or any subsequent arrangement which the Minister may have made with the British Government. I do not think, under all the circumstances, that we are justified in accepting the audit of the British Comptroller and Auditor-General in this matter. It is of the utmost importance that these accounts, considering the very large sum of money involved, should be subjected to an independent examination by an officer of our Government and not by an officer of another Government which, at any rate, may be interested in expanding the amount to be paid to its pensioners. In view of these circumstances, we cannot, I think, accept the explanation of the Minister and, accordingly, we on this side of the House are prepared to vote against the Estimate.
