asked the Minister for Justice if it is a fact that certain business concerns in Dublin are being forced to pay protection money to criminal gangs: and, if so, the action being taken to stamp out such nefarious practice.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that they have received one report of an alleged attempt to extort money from the staff of an amusement arcade and that they are carrying out an investigation. I am informed that, apart from that case, on which they have as yet come to no con clusion, they have no evidence that business people in Dublin or elsewhere in the country are being intimidated or forced to pay protection money.

Would the Minister care to have his Department go round some of the business establishments in the city to get this information?

Bring up the jurors.

Will he be responsible about his business instead of walking Deputy Briscoe into the situation into which he has brought him?

Was the attention of the Minister brought to individual cases where it is alleged that protection money is being paid?

I did not get the first part of the supplementary question.

Does the Minister know if any Deputy is willing to forward to him evidence, circumstantial or otherwise, that a protection racket is operating in Dublin, and if so would he be willing to investigate it?

As I said, I have been informed by the Garda authorities that they have received only one report of an alleged attempt to extort money and they are investigating that now. If any person has any information that will help the Garda to carry out any investigation in this matter it will be very welcome.

Is the Minister aware that a security firm mentioned in one of the weekend papers that they were paying protection money? Would the Minister care to comment on that?

If any Deputy or anybody else has any information that would be of any use to the Garda in investigating such a charge, they would be very welcome to give it to the Garda. If Deputy Harte has information or knows of anything that can help the Garda in any way and would substantiate these allegations he is making here this afternoon——

I am not making any allegations.

——the Garda would welcome that.

In the papers at the weekend there was an article stating that a security firm were paying protection money. Would the Minister answer the question?

The Deputy has asked the question in a number of ways a number of times.

An investigation into allegations in a recent article was carried out by the Central Detective Unit and the allegation was proved to be without foundation.

The Minister did not give that information at the beginning.

Question No. 8.

Deputy Briscoe did not ask for a whole lot of information the Minister gave him.

He did.

On a point of order——

I have called Question No. 8.