asked the Minister for Finance if he has made any arrangement about payment to subscribers to the Dáil Eireann Loan, 1919-20, in the Fairglass area, Co. Leitrim; if he will state the number of applications he has had from those claiming payment from the area; the total amount claimed, and the amount of money, if any, to the credit of this area in his Department; if he will fully explain the position as regards the delay in making payment in this area, and what steps he proposes taking with the view to having payment made to the subscribers referred to.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dáil Eireann Loan.
There is no record of the receipt in the Dáil Department of Finance of any sum in respect of subscriptions to the Dáil Eireann Internal Loan from the area to which the Deputy refers. A substantial number of claims have, however, been received and the matter is still under examination.
Surely the Minister must be aware that a certain demonstration on the part of a subscriber in the way of bringing the matter of the claim into a public court should be evidence enough to show that these people were at least genuine subscribers to the Dáil Loan and that the semi-official records and receipts of these people who subscribed and the specific sum of money collected ought to make it incumbent on his Department as their duty to examine the situation; does it not devolve on them as their duty to find out where the money has gone to, what purposes it has been used for and to make provision for the re-payment?
The Deputy is quite aware that the situation is not at all simple. To get the facts of the situation is not at all easy. The matter is being dealt with as far as it can be dealt with in view of the obscurity that prevails.
Would the Minister undertake to say that he will institute such inquiry as he considers necessary in order to bring about the situation that will enable him to pay those sums?
I am aware of the circumstances of this area and what actually happened was this——
That is not a question.
I think provision should be made for these people. Many of them subscribed towards the Volunteers and other purposes. The people paid the money towards the Dáil Bonds, but it never reached Finance or else there is no record of it. It is a case that wants special handling.
Then in the first instance the claim would be against those who misapplied the money.
Would the Minister at this stage give some indication that his Department will take up this matter seriously so that justice will be done to the people who subscribed?
The matter is being dealt with as expeditiously as it possibly can and everything that the Department can do will be done to elucidate the whole question.
Surely the Minister must be aware that this is a matter of outstanding importance. He cannot make the claim that the situation is not sufficiently well known to him. Will he make an inquiry so as to permit of the money being made available as early as possible?
I am anxious to make the money available. That is the sort of inquiry that is going on and will go on.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will state the number of claims for Dáil Loan (1919-20) repayment, not yet dealt with, received from the parishes of Clonaslee, Rosenallis and Mountrath, in Co. Leix; how many of these are approved of for re-payment; and whether, in view of the prevailing scarcity of money in many of the subscribers' homes, he would urge on his Department to repay before Christmas all approved applications in County Leix.
The preparation in an exact form of the information asked for by the Deputy in the first and second parts of the question would involve an amount of labour which would not, in my opinion, be justified.
With regard to the last part of the question, authority was recently given to the Department of Posts and Telegraphs for the issue of Savings Certificates in all cases which were then ripe for payment; the list was made up of a large number of subscribers to the Loan in different parts of the country. I understand that Savings Certificates have now been issued in all these cases which will enable the subscribers concerned to obtain repayment before Christmas.