asked the Minister for Finance if he will state the total amounts estimated for the amounts paid, and the amounts recovered from the British Government under the headings of (a) pre-Truce and (b) post-Truce property losses compensation.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - PROPERTY LOSSES COMPENSATION (PRE-TRUCE AND POST-TRUCE).
The aggregate amount of the provision made annually in the Estimates and the expenditure actually incurred up to the 31st March, 1928, under the various heads are as follows:
|
Estimate. |
Expenditure. |
|
|
£ |
£ |
|
|
Pre-Truce period |
17,623,000 |
7,415,000 |
|
Post-Truce period |
16,794,000 |
3,726,000 |
|
1916 period |
28,000 |
29,721 |
|
Cases within the Indemnity Act, 1924, (which covered the period 21st January, 1919, to 28th June, 1922) |
137,000 |
80,000 |
These figures do not include compensation stock, of which £1,446,000 had been issued up to the 31st March, 1928, by way of compensation for damage to property in the post-Truce period. Neither do they include payments made from the Army Vote or the Vote for Public Works and Buildings; nor do they include the full cost of restoring destroyed Government property. Moreover, no provision was made for compensation in respect of consequential loss in the post-Truce period.
As regards the third part of the question, the total amount actually received in cash from the British Government in respect of pre-Truce compensation was £3,217,543, but, in addition, substantial liabilities of the British Government were discharged by way of set-off in the course of financial adjustments between the two Governments. No payment was received from the British Government in respect of post-Truce compensation.
The Estimates for the current financial year will be found in the volume of Estimates. The extent of the liability outstanding on the 31st March, 1929, will depend on a number of factors over which the Department of Finance has no control, and I hesitate at this stage to offer an estimate of what the amount will be.