asked the Minister for Communications the reason for the prolonged delay in making payment to a person (details supplied) in County Dublin of £500 awarded in court to him on foot of a settlement made with the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs; and if payment will now be made to him as he is in urgent need of the funds.
Written Answers. - Court Payment.
536.
The delay in making payment in this case is due to a defect in sections 56 and 57 of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act, 1983. Those sections did not give full effect to the clear intention that all claims and court proceedings which related to the operation of the national postal and telecommunications services before 1 January and which were not settled by that date would be dealt with by An Post or Bord Telecom Éireann, as appropriate, from 1 January 1984 on the reorganisation of those services. As worded, those sections covered claims etc, to which the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs only was a party but not claims etc. to which the State or the Minister for Finance was a party.
That defect will be corrected on enactment of the Postal and Telecommunications Services (Amendment) Bill, 1984, which was circulated to Deputies on 5 April 1984. Arrangements will be made for payment to be made in this case and in other cases as soon as the Bill is enacted.