I move:—
That a sum not exceeding £1,072,700 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1956, for Wound and Disability Pensions, further Pensions and Married Pensions, Allowances and Gratuities (No. 26 of 1923, No. 12 of 1927, No. 24 of 1932, No. 15 of 1937, No. 2 of 1941, No. 14 of 1943, No. 3 of 1946, Nos. 19 and 28 of 1949 and No. 23 of 1953); Military Service Pensions, Allowances and Gratuities (No. 48 of 1924, No. 26 of 1932, No. 43 of 1934, No. 33 of 1938, No. 5 of 1944, Nos. 11 and 34 of 1945, Nos. 7 and 28 of 1949 and No. 5 of 1953); Pensions, Allowances and Gratuities (No. 37 of 1936, No. 9 of 1948, No. 30 of 1950, No. 27 of 1952 and No. 4 of 1953); Payments in respect of Compensation for Members of the Local Defence Forces (No. 19 of 1946 and No. 15 of 1949); and for sundry Contributions and Expenses in respect thereof, etc.
The main provisions in this Estimate are for pensions under the Military Service Pensions Acts; wound and disability pensions, special allowances, dependents' allowances and gratuities under the Army Pensions Acts; service pensions and gratuities under the Defence Forces (Pensions) Schemes in respect of service in the Permanent Defence Force.
The total sum required for 1955-56 is £1,609,000, which is an increase of £134,600 on the Estimate for 1954-55. The main increases occur in sub-heads F, I, J and O.
The increase of £31,336 in sub-head F—Allowances and Gratuities to Dependents, etc.—is due to provision for additional cases under the Army Pensions Act, 1953, which will come on pay during the year. These allowances and gratuities are payable to widows, parents and, in certain circumstances, brothers and sisters of persons who had pre-Truce service and who gave their lives in the struggle of the 1916 to 1923 period.
The increases of £10,860 in sub-head I—Military Service Pensions— and £18,200 in sub-head J—Defence Forces (Pensions) Schemes—are due to provision for additional cases coming on pay during the year. In addition, provision has been made in sub-head J for increases in pensions and gratuities to personnel retired or discharged since 1st November, 1952, from which date increased pay came into operation.
In sub-head O the increase is £81,000. This is the sub-head under which special allowances are paid to Old I.R.A. men, etc., who satisfy the statutory conditions. The increase is due to provision for additional cases which will qualify during the year.
I trust that this brief outline of the reasons for the increased provisions will help Deputies in their examination of the Estimate. If more detailed explanations are required I shall be happy to give them.
Last year, I stated, in relation to Military Service Pensions, that I proposed to allow the present phase to be completed under existing legislation when I hoped to have a picture of the situation which would assist me in considering whether anything further would need to be done. At that time there were about 5,000 cases to be reported upon, together with such additional new applications as would be received up to the 18th March, 1955, the closing date for these applications. Since the 1st June last the number of new applications received is 450. In the ordinary course a substantial number of the 5,000 cases which were outstanding at 31st May, 1954, would have been dealt with by the end of December, 1954.
Unfortunately, owing to the untimely death of the Referee in September, 1954, it was not possible to get ahead with the examination of outstanding cases as quickly as I had hoped. The new Referee was not available until 1st January, 1955, and the work is now proceeding as rapidly as possible. I am advised that the disposal of outstanding cases will take about two years, but I am hopeful that it may be possible to reduce this period. Until these cases are out of the way, I do not think that it would be advisable to come to any decision as to the future course of action.