asked the Minister for Finance whether a separate fund is being maintained wherein to segregate receipts in respect of the Land Commission annuity arrears funded under the Land Act, 1933, and whether he can can state the total amount of the funded arrears and the total receipts in respect of each gale which has fallen due.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land Commission Annuity Arrears.
A separate fund is not being maintained wherein to segregate receipts in respect of the Land Commission annuity arrears funded under the Land Act, 1933. The total amount of such funded arrears was £4,689,093. In accordance with Section 21 of the Act and the Land (Finance) Rules, 1934, funding annuities are consolidated with purchase annuities, and it would require the expenditure of an undue amount of time and labour to segregate the total receipts in respect of each gale which has fallen due between funding annuities and purchase annuities as reduced under the provisions of the Land Act, 1933.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, would the Minister be good enough to repeat the figures he has just given with regard to the total amount of the funded arrears?
Dr. Ryan
The total amount of the funded arrears was £4,689,093.
In view of the figure the Minister has given, is he prepared to stand by the figure that was given on the 6th June, 1934? That is the first supplementary question that I want to ask. The second supplementary question that I want to put to the Minister is that, if he is not maintaining a separate fund wherein to segregate receipts in respect of arrears of Land Commission annuities, how can he purport to borrow £1,500,000 or £1,250,000 for subsidies on the security of the arrears of the annuities fund, when, in fact, no such fund exists and when the receipts in respect of arrears of annuities are, according to the Minister's reply, being taken into the Exchequer's receipts and being treated as revenue and expended as revenue in the ordinary way? Is the Minister in a position to answer that?
Dr. Ryan
I think that is a speech.
Will the Minister answer the question?
Dr. Ryan
No. The Deputy is making a speech, and I think that it is rather a matter for a Parliamentary Question.
I take it, then, that if I put it down in the form of a Parliamentary Question, the Minister will answer it.