asked the Minister for Defence whether in view of the hardships suffered by old I.R.A. men who are now living on home assistance, medical disability benefit, unemployment assistance and the special allowance and the inability of these men to meet the rise in the cost of living, he will consider taking immediate action (a) to lower the age limit for the receipt of the special allowance to 65 years, (b) to increase the income limit imposed on these men from £4 per week for a married man and £2 5s. per week for a single man to £7 10s. per week for a married man and £5 for a single man, (c) to modify the regulations governing the granting of the special allowance generally and (d) to bring to an end the practice of taking increases in social welfare benefits to these men into account when calculating the special allowance.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Incomes of Old I.R.A. Men.
There is no age limit governing eligibility for the receipt of special allowances under the Army Pensions Acts. A statutory condition of the grant of a special allowance is that the applicant be incapable of self-support by reason of age or permanent infirmity of body or mind. Persons who have reached the age of 70 years are regarded as being incapable of self-support by reason of age. Persons who are less than 70 years of age and who are found to be incapable of self-support by reason of permanent infirmity of body or mind are eligible for the grant of an allowance.
The Army Pensions (Increase) Act, 1961, provided for increases as from 6 Eanáir, 1961, in the appropriate annual sums for the purpose of special allowances. In addition, the means test for special allowance purposes has been modified very substantially in recent times in a number of respects. As regards social welfare benefits, increases granted since 1957 in unemployment assistance and non-contributory widows' pensions, and the increase granted last August in noncontributory old age pensions and in contributory old age pensioners' dependants allowances are not reckonable as means for special allowance purposes. Only half of the disability benefit under the Social Welfare Acts is assessed as means. Further increases in the appropriate annual sums or general modifications of the means test are not at present contemplated.
In his reference to income limits, the Deputy may have in mind certain examples which were quoted, when the Army Pensions (Increase) Acts, 1961, was before the House, of what old age pensioners who had no other means could receive by way of old age pension and special allowance combined, namely, £3 2s. 6d. a week in the case of an unmarried man and £4 in the case of a married man. These, however, are not general income limits. A special allowance is the amount by which the assessable means—as distinct from the actual means, which may be much greater—fall short of the appropriate annual sum, and that is the only limit imposed.
It is a miserable pension, anyway.
Mr. Donnellan
It could not be worse.