asked the Minister for Defence if he will state the number of applications made to his Department by the Land Commission for certification of service in the I.R.A. (1916-1921) in respect of persons who claimed such service in applying for parcels of land; the number in which the service claimed was confirmed and the basis upon which the confirmation was issued.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land for I.R.A.
It is not possible, without an undue amount of research, to furnish from the records in my Department particulars of the number of applications made by the Land Commission for certification of service in the I.R.A. (1916-1921) in the case of persons referred to by the Deputy, or of the number of such applications in which the service claimed was confirmed.
The Minister has not answered the latter part of the question. Can he say that due care was exercised by the officials of his Department in arriving at favourable decisions in any applications that were made in respect of such services?
The Minister has answered both portions of the question. With regard to the supplementary question, ample and due care was given to every finding or every confirmation given by officers in my Department.
Will the Minister say in what manner certification was obtained? Was the commanding officer of the applicant written to and the service notified in each case?
The Deputy is referring to work going back over a period of years. The work has been carried on in the same efficient manner over the whole period of years since this concession was made. In some cases all the information necessary for arriving at a decision is contained in the files. To answer a question with regard to numbers, such as was asked by the Deputy, would mean wading through some 50,000 files.