asked the Minister for Justice whether he will have the Annual Report of the General Prisons Board for the year 1928-29 laid on the table of the House before the Estimate for Prisons is discussed; and, further, if he will state why the Report of 1927-28 was not laid on the table until 11th April, 1929.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Report of General Prisons Board.
The answer to the first portion of the question is in the negative. The Annual Report includes tables of expenditure for the financial year ending on the 31st March. These tables are not compiled until the Appropriation Account has been examined by the Comptroller and Auditor-General and advice is received that the expenditure has been satisfactorily vouched. This is not usually received until the month of October or November. The printing of the Report and the correction of proofs take some further time. Owing to the Departmental re-organisation which was rendered necessary as a consequence of the abolition of the General Prisons Board in December last, further unavoidable delay occurred in the printing of the Report for 1927-28.
Is the Minister aware that parts of the yearly reports date from January to December and that they have nothing to do with the accounts that go up at the end of the financial year, and would he consider the advisability of publishing these reports separately so that we should at least have reports up to the previous December when discussing an Estimate in May or June?
The Deputy seems to want piecemeal reports, but they would be very unsatisfactory as well as very expensive.
Is the Minister aware that by this method we are discussing something nearly two years old?