asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state the amount of investments outside the State held by insurance companies in each of the years ended 31st March, 1955, 1956, 1957 and 1958.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Insurance Companies External Investments.
The returns which insurance companies are required to make to me pursuant to the Insurance Acts, 1909-1953, do not include the particulars referred to by the Deputy, and I regret, therefore, that I am unable to furnish the information which he has requested.
The Minister could not suggest where I might find those figures?
The balance sheets of the companies might give some information. There are 65 of them and it would be a herculean task to analyse them, and, even if the Deputy did that, I think he would not get the precise information he wants. I do not know if he is thinking of all the insurance companies. A large number of the insurance companies who carry on one kind of business or another would be external companies.
Surely it is important that the Minister and the Government should know what these figures are?
I take it the Deputy has only Irish insurance companies in mind?
No.
Of course, the external investments of some of the companies doing business would be enormous because they would be external companies.
We do not know the figures for Irish or external companies.