I have been informed by the Garda authorities that the amounts of money realised by An Garda Síochána through the sale of unclaimed property by public auction in the years 2008 to date are detailed in the table below. I am further informed that the amounts quoted are inclusive of property forfeited to the State which was sold. In addition, I have been advised that it would not be practicable to extract the figures specifically relating to seized property:
Year
|
Amount of Money Raised from Auctions
|
2008
|
€28,968
|
2009
|
€128,730
|
2010
|
€84,802
|
2011
|
€82,607
|
2012 (04/04/2012)
|
€650
|
Money received from the sale of unclaimed/seized property is accounted for as an Appropriation-in-Aid within the Garda Vote. The sale of the property is dealt with by public auction and in order to maximise the receipts from such sales the appointed auctioneers advertise the auctions in national newspapers.
I understand that information in relation to the class of each asset sold and the number of auctions held in each of the three years is not readily available. In this context I have been advised that extraction of the relevant material would require a significant and disproportionate use of Garda resources which are required for other purposes.