asked the President whether he is prepared to state (a) when the Tribunal will be set up to decide upon the amount of compensation due to the Northern Nationalists who had their homes and property destroyed by the British during the Black and Tan war, and were refused compensation; (b) what will be the Tribunal's procedure; (c) whether he will fix a time limit for its report, and further, to ask whether the Government will adopt and pay in full the awards of the Tribunal.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Northern Nationalists and Compensation.
The Minister for Finance is prepared to consider applications for compensation lodged in his Department not later than the 30th November, 1929, in respect of damage to property sustained in Northern Ireland between the 21st January, 1919, and the 11th July, 1921, inclusive, in cases in which compensation was refused by the courts on the ground that the property in question was destroyed as a matter of military necessity. After full consideration, I have come to the conclusion that such applications can be dealt with more satisfactorily by the Department of Finance than by an ad hoc Tribunal. Until definite information is available regarding the number and magnitude of applications to be considered, it would be premature to form any conclusion as to the procedure which should be adopted or the time which would be required to complete the necessary investigations, or the amounts to be paid following such investigations.
Will the Government take any steps to publish the fact?
No.