With your permission, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 106 and 107 together.
My Department did not open a bank account in the Bank of Ireland, Clones, in or about October, 1969.
My predecessor authorised the making of two payments to the Irish Red Cross Society from the Northern Ireland Relief Fund set up in August, 1969, by the Government to provide aid for the victims of unrest in the Six Counties. These payments were transferred by the Irish Red Cross Society to an account held by three persons in the Bank of Ireland, Clones, in October 1969. The total amount involved was £10,000.
A second account was opened for the same purpose in November, 1969, in the Munster and Leinster Bank, Baggot Street, Dublin.
Further payments were made to the Irish Red Cross Society from the Northern Ireland Relief Fund and, from these, sums totalling £59,000 were re-transferred by that society to the account in the Munster and Leinster Bank, Baggot Street, Dublin.
No money was lodged by my Department to either of the two accounts mentioned.
As the Department of Finance had not any control over, and did not exercise any function in relation to, either of the two accounts or any such like accounts, I am not in a position to reply to parts (b), (c) or (d) of Deputy Cooney's question.
As stated by the Taoiseach on 26th October, a departmental investigation of these payments has been made and the Garda authorities are also carrying out an investigation. Pending the outcome of these inquiries, I do not propose to make any further comment.
