§ 74. Sir WILLIAM DAVISONasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that, under the Criminal Injuries (Ireland) Acts, interest at the rate of 5 per cent. is payable on all sums awarded as compensation for malicious damage as from the date of the County Court Judge's decree; whether the Wood-Renton Commission, in awarding compensation contrary to the provisions of the above-mentioned Acts, declines to award interest from the-statutory dates but from much later dates arbitrarily fixed by them; and whether, in view of the fact that claimants are without legal remedy by reason of Irish Free State legislation, which has declared that decrees are unenforceable at law, he will make representations to the Wood-Renton Commission as to the desirability of their awards following the provisions of the Criminal Injuries Acts as to the payment of interest on awards as from the date when the same are made?
Mr. THOMASThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative; in reply to the second part, the duty of 981 the Commission is to determine what compensation ought in reason and in fairness to be awarded in the cases which come before them, and I have no reason to suppose that in discharging that duty they fail to take into consideration the period of time which has elapsed between the injury and their award. I see no ground, therefore, for the action suggested in the third part of the question.
§ Sir W. DAVISONDoes not the right hon. Gentleman think it very hard that these unfortunate people, whose homes have been burned down, should not receive the interest on the compensation awarded from the date when the award was made?
Mr. THOMASAs the previous Government set up a Commission to consider this question, it would be unfair on my part to assume for a moment that they were not fairly dealing with the case.