asked the Minister for Finance if he is aware that persons receiving deeds from the Adjudication Office, Dublin Castle, marked No Penalty are then required to present the same deeds to another officer in a different part of the same building to have the letters N.P. imprinted on them with a rubber stamp; and if, as this operation frequently entails joining a long queue of people waiting for over half an hour to have their deeds marked for stamping, he will arrange to issue suitable rubber stamps for use by the officials in the Adjudication Office.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Stamping of Deeds.
6.
Mr. Ryan
Under the hitherto existing system, devised for security purposes, delays have occasionally occurred in the stamping of deeds with the "N.P." stamp to denote no penalty in the Adjudication Office, Dublin Castle. A change in procedure which has recently been introduced will obviate such delays in the future.
Mr. Ryan
Do I understand from the Minister it will not be necessary in future for people to queue at a second place in Dublin Castle in order to have the stamp impressed?
I could not say that. As far as I understand the law, there is an obligation to stamp if a penalty is due, but there is no obligation to stamp if no penalty is due. It is on that idea they are working at present.
Mr. Ryan
Is the Minister aware that at present an adjudication officer writes on the deed that he does not consider any penalty need be paid. Having made that decision, he then hands back the deed to the member of the public or of the legal profession. That person must take it to another part of the building and join a queue of people doing something entirely different. He must wait, perhaps, up to half an hour in order to have a simple rubber stamp impressed with the magic letters "N.P." Surely it should be possible to avoid that by giving the "N.P." stamp to the man who writes on the deed in the first instance that he does not consider it should carry any penalty? It is as simple as that.
I am not as sure of the procedure as the Deputy is. I do not know exactly what the Commissioners have in mind but they assure me that, with the new procedure, these delays will not occur.