asked the Minister for Finance the total amounts paid out under the Funds of Suitors Act, 1959; and who the recipients were.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Payments under Funds of Suitors Act, 1959.
7.
The following sums have been paid in accordance with Section 2 of the Funds of Suitors Act, 1959:—
£250,000 to the Capital Fund to be applied towards the cost of rebuilding the Abbey Theatre.
£3,000 to the Minister for Finance.
£70,000 to the trustees of the Honourable Society of King's Inns.
I might add that £110,128 has been issued to the Irish National Theatre Society, Ltd. from the £250,000 Capital Fund.
How much is left in the fund?
I presume the Deputy is referring to the Capital Fund?
Yes.
If the Deputy is good at mental arithmetic and deducts from £250,000 the sum of £110,128, I think he will get about £139,872.
I will accept the Minister's arithmetic. That fund is buoyant. It is made up of unclaimed moneys held by the Chief Accountant of the High Court. Where the Chief Accountant might have made a mess of investing some of these moneys, would the Minister not consider that some restitution should be made to the people concerned? In the case I am referring to, the accountant took over £669 and the boy concerned got £379.
I gather from what the Deputy said that there is an association, on the face of it not apparent, between Question No. 6 and Question No. 7. I am surprised at Deputy Esmonde allowing himself to be made a catspaw for Deputy Lynch.
The Minister is a little surprised I did not ask a supplementary? The reason I did not was that the Minister for Finance is not here and I knew it was no use asking the Minister for Health.
I shall leave it at that until the Minister for Finance is present.