Vol. 19 No. 24
I move:—
"That the Dáil is of opinion that the Saorstát owners of cattle, landed at Marklands and Fleetwood, in the autumn of 1923, and slaughtered after becoming infected with foot-and-mouth disease during the period of three weeks' detention there, should be compensated for their losses out of public funds."
I have had a conference with some Deputies and with the President of the Cattle trade. The suggestion made is this, that if the cattle trade put up a proposition for the collection of this compensation either by the market authorities, the shipping companies or some outside authority, that I would ask the Dáil to give it, if necessary, legislative effect. That was a proposal that was put up already. An alternative proposal was that they should be paid out of public funds. As I say, I have just had a conference with some members of the cattle trade, including the President and a Deputy from the Farmers' Benches, and that compromise was agreed to.
Do I understand the Minister to mean that there will be an export toll for the purpose of providing a compensation fund?
That is a matter for themselves. My position is that this is something that the cattle trade should find for themselves, but the position of the cattle trade is that they have no organisation to collect the money, and it must be collected from the trade by some authority other than their own organisation. I have asked them to put up a proposition to carry out that compromise, and if it is necessary to introduce legislation for that purpose I will introduce it, and ask the Dáil to pass it.
Would the cost of collection be borne out of the fund or out of the State?
That is a detail.
It is an important detail about which the Minister for Finance perhaps will have something to say.
I am not able to express an opinion about that. It depends on the proposition put up.
In view of the Minister's statement, which is satisfactory, I withdraw that motion.
It is pleasing to hear Deputy Dwyer say "it is satisfactory."
