Vol. 208 No. 1
asked the Minister for Defence, with reference to a person (name supplied) who claimed that he received injuries while travelling in an Army lorry while on annual training with the FCA, the period that elapsed between the date upon which the injuries were alleged to have been sustained and the date of the inquiries, the nature of the said inquiries, and the persons involved therein.
72.
asked the Minister for Defence if he will state with reference to a person (name supplied) whether he was medically examined when he presented himself for annual training in 1961; whether he was then found to be suffering from the injuries of which he subsequently complained while on annual training; and, if not, if compensation will now be paid to that person in respect of such injuries.
73.
asked the Minister for Defence if he will state, in respect of the army lorry in which a person (name supplied) travelled from Croke Park to Gormanston in 1961, the seating accommodation therein, and the number of soldiers who travelled in it.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 71, 72 and 73 together.
The person in question is alleged to have received injuries on 25 Meitheamh, 1961. Inquiries regarding the matter were initiated at the end of the following month after it came to the notice of the military authorities that he was a patient in a civilian hospital.
In the context of an application which the person made for compensation, inquiries were completed in Meitheamh, 1963. As the alleged injuries have been the subject of such an application I am not prepared to state the nature of the inquiries nor the names of the persons involved therein.
The person was medically examined when he presented himself for annual training in 1961 and was not found to be suffering from any injury. As I stated in reply to previous questions by the Deputy, I have no evidence that the person was injured in the course of training and accordingly compensation cannot be paid to him.
The seating capacity of the lorry referred to is 30 persons and there were 30 persons in it on the occasion in question.
Is it not a fact that this person reported sick while on annual training in the year in which he was found not to be suffering from any medical defect when he first applied for training? Is it not a fact that he was confined to bed while on training? Is it not a fact that his bags had to be carried from Gormanston to the station because he was unable, through physical injury, to carry them, and is it not about time the Department acknowledged that this man received his injuries while on annual training and compensated him accordingly?
The answer to each of the Deputy's supplementary questions is "no".
Does the Minister not recall that he told me in this House on another occasion that this man was in sickbay while on his annual training? Would the Minister state upon what date inquiries were made to ascertain whether or not there were more than 30 men in the rear of the lorry when it proceeded back from Croke Park to Gormanston? I am informed there were several men in excess of 30 in the back of the lorry on that day and that that is why the man received his injuries.
I have not got that information. The Deputy should give me notice.
The Minister will hear about this many times until justice is done to this unfortunate man.
