asked the Minister for Defence if he will state (a) the number of officers and men of the Irish Volunteers who were wounded during the period from Easter, 1916, to the 6th of December, 1921, and also the number who applied for pensions or compensation under the Army Pensions Act, 1923; (b) the number of officers and men who were wounded from the 10th January, 1922, until the 1st of April, 1924, and also the number who applied for pensions or compensation under the Army Pensions Act, 1923; and whether he will state the number of cases, under these heads, in which pensions or compensation have been granted, and the total amount awarded
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - PENSIONS: APPLICATIONS AND AWARDS.
SEAN O LAIDHIN
I regret that there is no reliable record of officers and men of the Volunteers who were wounded during the period from Easter Monday, 1916, to the 6th December, 1921. However, 395 applications for gratuity or pension have been received. Of these, a large proportion appear to be unsustainable. It appears that about 870 officers and men of the Army were wounded during the period from January, 1922, to the 1st April, 1924, but 1,232 applications for gratuity or pension in respect of this period have been received. Of these, a large proportion also appear to be unsustainable. In the case of the former period, up to date, 42 applications have been investigated, 31 of these have been rejected, and awards involving a sum of £1,249 10s. 3d. have been made in the 11 cases approved. With regard to the latter period, 53 awards involving £1,127 2s. 2d. have been made, and 423 cases have been rejected up to the present.
Can the President state whether some of the claims were rejected on the grounds that wounded officers and men had Republican sympathies and were therefore refused pensions?
I would like to say that I can deny that absolutely, in toto. There is no truth whatever in the statement.