asked the Minister for Finance if he will state the total amount subscribed for Prize Bonds (a) to date and (b) at the recent subscription, and the total amount that has been repaid to date.
14.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Prize Bonds: Subscriptions and Repayments.
13.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will state the amounts of the recent subscription for Prize Bonds subscribed through the Post Office and commercial banks, respectively, and the amounts of savings certificates and Post Office Savings Bank deposits encashed for investment in Prize Bonds.
15.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will state in respect of applications for Prize Bonds (a) to date and (b) at the last subscription the number of applications and the total amount applied for in each of the following categories: (1) £5, (2) over £5 and up to £50, (3) over £50 and up to £100, (4) over £100 and up to £1,000 and (5) over £1,000.
With the permission of the Leas-Cheann Comhairle I propose to take Questions 13. 14, and 15 together.
The total amounts subscribed for Prize Bonds (a) to date and (b) at the recent issue were £16.96 million and £2.69 million respectively. The total amount of Prize Bonds repaid to date is £2.74 million. At the recent issue £0.72 million was subscribed through the Post Office and £1.68 million through the commercial banks, the balance being subscribed through stockbrokers and the trustee savings banks. The amount of Savings Certificates and Post Office Savings Bank deposits encashed for investment in the recent issue is estimated at approximately £0.13 million.
The remainder of the information sought by the Deputy is contained in a tabular statement, which, with the permission of the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I propose to circulate with the Official Report. For the following reason I have included in the statement statistics showing the cumulative position up to and including the March, 1959, issue of the Bonds and also separate figures in relation to that issue. On 21 April, 1959, in reply to Questions by the Deputy I gave certain statistics of Prize Bonds receipts (Dáil Debates, Vol. 174 No. 5, Cols. 665, 666). The Bank of Ireland, which furnished the information, has recently told me with regret that some of the figures given were incorrect. I have accepted the Bank's explanation and apology, and I am availing of the present opportunity of supplying the revised statistics to the House.
Following is the statement.
PRIZE BONDS RECEIPTS
|
Category Cumulative Totals up to and including March, 1959, Issue (revised) |
March, 1959, Issue (Revised) |
(Revised) |
To date |
Recent issue (September, 1959) |
||||
|
No. of Applications |
Amount |
No. of Applications |
Amount |
No. of Applications |
Amount |
No. of Applications |
Amount |
|
|
£.M. |
£.M. |
£.M. |
£.M. |
|||||
|
£5 |
305,084 |
1.53 |
30,082 |
0.15 |
340,490 |
1.71 |
35,406 |
0.18 |
|
Over £5 and up to £50 |
211,525 |
4.21 |
24,430 |
0.51 |
239,009 |
4.78 |
27,484 |
0.57 |
|
Over £50 and up to £100 |
26,380 |
2.42 |
4,035 |
0.36 |
30,511 |
2.79 |
4,131 |
0.37 |
|
Over £100 and up to £1,000 |
14,284 |
4.41 |
2,865 |
0.95 |
17,193 |
5.37 |
2,909 |
0.96 |
|
Over £1,000 |
487 |
1.70 |
128 |
0.72 |
629 |
2.31 |
142 |
0.61 |
|
TOTALS |
557,760 |
14.27 |
61,540 |
2.69 |
627,832 |
16.96 |
70,072 |
2.69 |
I am glad the Minister has made the correction. Surely the Minister must accept that he also has the obligation to verify the information which is given to him for the purpose of replying to a Parliamentary Question? Certainly two of the figures that were inaccurate then could have been verified in the Minister's office because they did not add up.
I do not know how the Deputy is in a position to make that assertion.
By adding two and two together.
No—that they could have been verified in the Minister's office.
The Deputy is assuming the Minister could add.
Is the Minister for Finance not able to add two and two? Is that the implication?