Vol. 250 No. 1
asked the Minister for Finance what was the total sum paid into accounts in Clones, County Monaghan and the Munster and Leinster Bank, Baggot Street, Dublin referred to in the arms trial; how much other money was paid into these accounts; and how much of these other sums came from public subscriptions through the Irish Red Cross Society.
12.
asked the Minister for Finance whether the woman in whose name an account was opened in the Munster and Leinster Bank, Baggot Street, Dublin linked to the account from which funds were provided to finance illegal arms purchase, is a civil servant, or an official of a body financed in whole or in part from public funds; and, if so, which body.
13.
asked the Minister for Finance what instructions were given by his predecessor's principal private secretary to the manager of the Munster and Leinster Bank, Dublin in respect of the account in that branch to which sums were paid on the written instructions of the Department of Finance.
14.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will state, in the light of his predecessor's statement on oath that he knew nothing about the bank account in Baggot Street, Dublin from which the illegal arms purchase was financed, on whose authority written instructions were given to the Irish Red Cross Society to transfer to that account sums paid to it from the Northern Ireland Relief Fund.
15.
asked the Minister for Finance what steps have been taken to recover Exchequer funds paid through the Irish Red Cross Society into an account in the Munster and Leinster Bank, Baggot Street, Dublin and subsequently used in payment for arms which were never in fact delivered.
16.
asked the Minister for Finance what relief activities were financed out of the sums paid from the Northern Ireland Relief Fund to the Director of Intelligence.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 to 16 together.
I would refer the Deputy to my reply of 26th November, 1970, to three questions asked by him regarding the Northern Ireland Relief Expenditure (Grant-in-Aid) and associated transactions.
I should like to protest against the Minister's refusal to reply to these questions. It is an abuse of the procedure of this House to use the fact that a motion is down for future consideration as grounds for not answering questions that are in the public interest.
I would point out that the fact that the motion is down still for future consideration is due solely to the Fine Gael Party and not to anyone else in this House.
I dispute what the Minister has said as I pointed out previously in the Dáil.
