Vol. 493 No. 5
124 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he has considered the referral to the appropriate authorities of the alteration of official documentation in relation to a court case (details supplied); and, if so, his decision in the matter. [16658/98]
125 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if, under the terms of the 11 indemnities he holds in the case of a company (details supplied), he will be recovering all costs and losses to the Exchequer from the parties intended to benefit by his Department's breaches of EU regulations. [16659/98]
126 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if, in relation to the indemnities that he holds in the case of a company (details supplied), he will be able to recover the damages paid from Exchequer funds to the company in 1992 as well as the general damages due to the company in accordance with the Supreme Court's ruling of March 1997. [16660/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 124, 125 and 126 together.
The document referred to was not part of the documentation relied upon by my Department in the court case. I am satisfied that there was no impropriety involved and that alteration to the document was intended to ensure that the company in question did not lose its rights to a GATT licence because of a technical deficiency in the original application which had been received on time. With regard to the indemnities, the Supreme Court has granted the company in question leave to claim general damages against my Department in relation to the implementation of the GATT import licensing arrangements. The High Court has not yet heard a submission or ruled on this issue. In view of this, the full extent of the liability of my Department in respect of this case cannot be established. It is the intention of my Department to attempt to recover the cost of these damages from the meat processors involved when this issue is resolved.
