§ Mr. BLANE (Armagh, S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If the accounts of the Belfast Banking Company be subject by statute to public audit; if he can state the amount of gold and legal securities held against deposits by the Belfast Banking Company at present; if the Belfast Bank be empowered as a "bank of issue"; and, if so, can he state the amount of paper issued; what reserve is now actually held to meet the paper issue of the Belfast Banking Company; 1375 and, if such reserve be equal to the requirements of the Banking Act, 1844?"
§ THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. MADDEN) (Dublin University)(who replied) said: The accounts of the Belfast Banking Company (Limited) are subject by statute to public audit. The published accounts appear to contain all the information asked for in relation to the assets and liabilities of the bank. The bank is one empowered to issue notes. Full information of its notes in circulation and the gold held against the same is to be found in the Returns which are published in The Dublin Gazette at the end of each period of four weeks. These Returns are also furnished at like periods and duly verified by declarations to the Commissioners of Stamps and Taxes, whose duty it is to see that the gold and silver coin held satisfy the requirements of the Bank Issue Act of 1845. The Banking Act of 1844 is the English Act.