I move:—
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £10 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1925, for payments in respect of destruction of or injuries to property within the period 21st January, 1919, to 12th May, 1923, inclusive, under the Damage to Property (Compensation) Act, 1923, as amended and otherwise, and in respect of damage to, or loss of property and payments by way of indemnification or recoupment under the Indemnity Act, 1924.
This is a token estimate introduced for the purpose of bringing to the notice of the Dáil expenditure under this head.
There will be more than ample savings, if I may use the word, to enable the liability which will arise under this particular clause of the Indemnity Act to be paid. Deputies will, perhaps, remember that the Indemnity Act, 1924, provides that the Executive Minister may refer to a committee, set up under the Act, questions of claims for losses or damage arising out of acts of officers appointed by, or acting under, the First and Second Dáil. Then there are certain limitations laid down. It is said the committee shall not take into consideration any loss or damage arising from (1) billeting or quartering of troops; (2) sums paid or subscribed to any National loan or levy; and (3) fines imposed by any tribunal arising out of any order or regulation of general or local application, due to the existence of a state of war, or founded on mere loss of pleasure and amenity. It is further laid down that the committee shall recommend payment of compensation only in cases where special or continuing hardship has resulted from loss or damage. The committee has been appointed, consisting of Mr. Cussen, D.J., Mr. O'Dwyer of the Local Government Department, and Mr. Flanagan of the Finance Department.
The number of claims so far received amounts to 4,000, and the total amount of them would be something over £160,000. It is estimated, however, so far as investigations have gone, that a very large proportion of those claims— 25 per cent. or more—will immediately be ruled out as being outside the Act and the terms of reference of the Committee. Of those which will come within the terms of reference, the major part, by far the greater number, will come under four headings: (1) seizure of guns; (2) seizure of bicycles; (3) seizure of motor cars, and (4) commandeering of cars for use on active service during the war period. The work of dealing with these claims will be extremely difficult. The certification of the damage done and the ascertaining of whether the loss was actually incurred through the action of some person who is authorised to act as he did, by either the First or Second Dáil, or was simply carrying out the duties of his office or position under that order, will take considerable time. That work will all be very difficult indeed.
The Committee has been at work for some time and a great deal of preliminary matter has been got through, such as the classification and the registering of all these claims and the obtaining of essential details of various sorts. All that work has already been in operation. It is not expected that during the financial year any very large sum will be required. The amount set down in the estimate is £5,000. Probably after this preliminary period which we are now entering upon, the work will go ahead much more rapidly, and possibly it will be completely dealt with inside the next financial year. It is impossible yet, at the stage which the Committee work has reached, to say what the amount of awards will be in respect of the £160,000 claimed. The awards will certainly be considerably less than that. At the present stage, however, I could not inform the Dáil as to the total amount that is likely to be required.
