Jim O'Keeffe
Question:27 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Finance the reason he is not prepared to make public the result of the examination by his Department on the issue of dormant bank accounts. [9540/98]
Written Answers - Dormant Accounts.
The Deputy will recall that, during the debate on the Central Bank Act, 1998, and in response to parliamentary questions tabled by him in March 1998, I outlined the position in relation to the exmination undertaken by officials in my Department on the general issue of dormant accounts held in credit institutions. That investigation identified, among other things, potential legal and constitutional issues associated with establishing a system for dealing with such accounts. I have advised the Deputy that this is a very complex issue and one which requires very careful consideration. Without getting into specifics, the type of areas affected by the establishment of such a scheme would include that of property rights generally.
I have advised the Deputy that I will not let the matter rest and that I will investigate it further during my term of office. In the meantime, it would not be appropriate for me to release any of the results of the work undertaken by my officials until the further investigations I consider necessary are completed.