asked the Minister for Defence if his attention has been drawn to the case of William McHugh of Ballycasey, Headford, County Galway, aged 84 years, a Black and Tan war veteran, who during that period had his home, haggard and farm machinery burned and was flogged on the naked back by the then enemy, as a result of which he is and has been unable to do physical labour; and if he is aware that, despite the fact that he was a captain of the local IRA company and battalion intelligence officer, he has a pension of only £16 per annum and has been refused a special or disability allowance under the Military Service Pensions Acts; and, if so, if he will grant such special allowance forthwith, and thus enable the pensioner to pay doctors' fees and costs of prescriptions, tablets, etc.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Old IRA Pensioner.
22.
A statutory condition for the grant of a special allowance is that the yearly means of an applicant do not equal or exceed a prescribed sum. As the yearly means of the person referred to by the Deputy are in excess of the prescribed sum applicable in his case, he is not eligible for the award of a special allowance.