Dormant accounts – Government must spend windfall fairly

The Government intends to mine substantial benefit from a sleight of hand which went unnoticed when it was mentioned in the immediate run-up to Christmas and which was once again referred to earlier this month. It involves the Government taking control of the disbursement of over €110 million, which currently is the responsibility of the Dormant Accounts Disbursement Board.

Since it was established three years ago, the independent board decided how the unclaimed money, which runs to many millions of euro annually, should be allocated and how much should go to disadvantaged groups.

In its wisdom, and coincidentally in a year of local and European elections which could prove difficult for it, the Government proposes to relieve the board of this onerous task.