Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 Jan 1947

Vol. 104 No. 3

Committee on Finance. - Vote 70—Personal Injuries (Civilians) Compensation.

Minister for Finance (Mr. Aiken)

I move:—

That a supplementary sum not exceeding £1,450 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending 31st March, 1947, for Compensation and other Payments in respect of Personal Injuries sustained by persons, not as members of State Services, as a result of the dropping of bombs by foreign aircraft and of kindred incidents while the State is not engaged in war (No. 19 of 1946).

A Supplementary Estimate was taken last year to enable compensation for personal injuries, recovered from the German Government, in respect of the Campile bombing on the 26th August, 1940, to be distributed amongst the individual claimants. In each of three of the cases, two persons were interested in the distribution and in these cases it was necessary to get their formal proposals as to basis of the division between them. Owing to delays by the claimants in formulating their proposals and having the necessary legal agreements executed, the Paymaster-General's Office was unable to issue the awards until after the close of the financial year 1945-46. The current year's Vote could not bear fully the additional expenditure thus thrown on it and recourse was had to the Contingency Fund to meet the payments in the first instance. A Supplementary Estimate for £1,450 is necessary to complete the repayment to the Contingency Fund.

General Mulcahy

The Estimate says that any compensation recovered from external Governments or authorities will be used to offset expenditure under this Vote, the moneys recovered being brought to the credit of the Exchequer Extra Receipts. Can the Minister give us any information as to the value of the property owned by either the Axis Government or citizens of the Axis countries in Ireland and into whose possession those properties or moneys passed? Was any part of them transferred to our Government here for the purpose of meeting any of the damage done as a result of bombs dropped by any of the Axis countries?

Mr. Aiken

I would prefer the Deputy to ask that by way of a Parliamentary Question, so that he might get an exact answer. I think it was stated here on many occasions that certain sums due by our nationals to Germany were collected and used for the purpose of compensation and for other Exchequer purposes. If the Deputy puts down a specific Parliamentary Question, I can give him the answer, or if he likes I will communicate with him by letter.

Vote put and agreed to.