More than three quarters of a million pounds has been paid by defendants to the Poor Box in the District Court between 1993 and 1996. The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, told Mr Jim Higgins (FG, Mayo) that Poor Box receipts for the four years up to 1996 amounted to £823,535.04. The largest amount was £305,481.18 last year, followed by £217,143.22 in 1995.