asked the Minister for Defence whether he is aware that no dependant's allowance was paid to Mrs. A. O'Neill, Kinnaird, Lenamore, Rathowen, Co. Westmeath, in respect of her son, J. O'Neill, Q.M. Sergeant, Works Coy., Costume Barracks, Athlone, who attested on the 4th March, 1922, and that payment in this case be expedited, as O'Neill was the chief support of the household.
[ WRITTEN ANSWERS. ] - DEPENDANTS' ALLOWANCES.
An allowance is now being issued to Mrs. O'Neill, and arrears have been paid.
asked the Minister for Defence whether he is aware that dependant's allowance has not been paid to Mrs. Stephen Burke, Clara Road, Moate, in respect of her son, Vol. Patrick Burke, who attested on the 3rd July, 1922, and who earned, previous to enlistment, £2 5s. 10d. per week, and, as Burke was the chief support of the household, that payment be expedited in this case.
No application appears to have been received from Mrs. Burke, but on the information conveyed in the question a claim has been prepared and is being investigated.
asked the Minister for Defence whether he is aware that dependant's allowance, for which application was made, was refused to Mrs. Mary Anne Duffy, Springfield Cottage, Mullingar, in respect of her son, Volunteer John Duffy, who joined the National Army in July, 1922, and who is at present stationed in Maryborough Prison; further, as Mrs. Duffy is in bad circumstances, will the Minister have this case re-investigated and payment made.
The application of Mrs. Duffy, who was partially dependent on her son John, was disallowed after due investigation, on the ground that the extent of dependence which, in the case of an unmarried soldier, is taken to be the amount normally contributed by him to his home over and above the cost (if any) of his own maintenance therein for a reasonable period prior to enlistment was less than the minimum specified by regulations— namely, 12s. per week, before an allowance may be issued. It was in fact about 10s. per week. It should be stated, however, that the regulations are based on the recognition of an obligation on the part of an unmarried soldier to contribute to the support of his dependents a reasonable portion of his Army pay, this portion being calculated as 8s. per week in the case of a soldier receiving ordinary rate of pay.