asked the Minister for Justice the amount of money realised from the sale of stolen property which remained unclaimed in Garda stations for the last three years.

I would refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 92 on 9 March 1988, in which I gave details of the amount of money realised from the sale of unclaimed stolen property in Garda possession for the years 1983-86. The figure for 1987 was £36,851.

I thank the Minister for the information. Has he given any consideration to how this money could usefully be used to alleviate the problems of the victims of crime?

The Deputy is injecting new matter into this question, which deals solely with receipts from the sale of stolen property.

Could I ask about the utilisation of the money?

The moneys in question are paid directly into the Exchequer.