I gave notice of a question on the adjournment dealing with 304 men who have applied since 1st December, 1924, for arrears of pay due them by the Department of Defence for services rendered in the National Army. The Minister for Defence, in reply to my question to-day, said that no formal official notice was given to officers, N.C.O.'s or men on demobilisation before 1st December, 1924, that arrears of pay should be claimed by them. If no official information was given to men demobilised prior to 1924 who had claims for arrears of pay, surely those claims when made should be gone into and considered. There are 704 people who served the State and who are owed from six months' to three months' pay, and those people have not received the wage lawfully earned by them. If they were ordinary workmen and if their employer refused to pay them three months' or six months' wages, they could prosecute him in court, but these men, once their claim is turned down by the Minister for Defence, have no redress. I think that is really unfair, and I ask that the Minister for Defence should at least consider the 304 claims lodged since 1st December. I do not wish him to go into the 1,011 cases in which claims have not been pressed. There are still under investigation only six cases. I would like him to add to the six those 304. Some of these men have been in hospital and did not know that their claims should be in before the 1st December. No official notice was given of it. It is to see that justice is done to those men who have lawfully earned their pay that I raise this question. The present Minister was not in office at the time I refer to, but he has the files at his disposal and he has the services of his officials and consequently he must be held responsible. It is only right that men who rendered service to the State and who, in many cases, have pre-Truce records should receive justice from the Minister and I think their claims should receive attention.
IN COMMITTEE ON FINANCE. - CLAIMS FOR ARMY PAY—ADJOURNMENT DEBATE.
It is quite evident that some date had to be fixed when these claims would cease to come in. It is also quite evident to my Department that there were a number of bogus claims coming along. Everybody knew that these claims should have come along within a certain period. When one man in an area got back pay, everyone in that area knew that if they had any claim they were entitled to get their money. A year elapsed during which these claims came along, and on the 1st December, 1924, it was thought that sufficient time had been given. There were 304 claims received after 1st December, 1924. We know that a number of people sent in claims during that period, certified by people who got paid for certification, and that a number of those claims were bogus. We also know that men have claimed for money that we hold receipts for. It is up to the Department to see that the country is not called on to pay money to persons who make claims for services they did not render. I want to see that every man who is entitled to payment should be paid, and that is the policy of my Department, but we are not going to pay out money to people who make bogus claims against the State. We did think of prosecuting some people for making claims of that kind, but finally we considered it was better not to proceed against them. Although we have not provided in the Estimates this year for any expenditure under this heading, if Deputy Lyons can bring forward any specific cases that he can stand over and prove. I will see that they are investigated, and if they are entitled to be paid I shall certainly see that they will get the money. I do not admit that there are a number of people who are entitled to be paid for services rendered and who have not been paid. There may be half a dozen cases, perhaps—these things always occur—but, generally speaking, I can say that there are not a number of people who are entitled to payment and who have not got it. As I say, however, if the Deputy brings forward any specific case that can stand on its merits, I will have it investigated and see that the money will be found for payment.
I am quite satisfied with the statement of the Minister.
The Dáil adjourned at 8.35.