asked the Minister for Defence if he will give all old IRA medal holders a monthly allowance and a burial allowance and if he will make a comprehensive statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Old IRA Medal Holders Allowances.
433.
The existing arrangements whereby a special allowance, which is payable monthly in arrear, is awarded to a veteran of the War of Independence who has a duly awarded Service (1917-1921) Medal provide, among other things, for the application of a means test. At present more than 6,000 such allowances are paid. In addition some 3,000 military service pensions are paid. The pensioners concerned are entitled to the Service (1917-1921) Medal with Bar and some 1,000 of them are in receipt of the special allowance in addition to their pensions. Apart from the 8,000 veterans who are thus in receipt of the special allowance or the service pension or both, it is estimated that there are a further 4,000 medal holders still alive.
The purpose of the special allowance is to give a measure of support to veterans who on account of age or incapacity are not in a position to support themselves. The means test has been relaxed progressively over the years and is now far from severe. If it were further modified to permit of the grant of an allowance, irrespective of means, every military service pensioner and medal holder, no matter how well off he or she might be, would automatically be eligible for it in the same way as the most needy veteran who had no assessable means. Such a situation would tend to vitiate the whole purpose of the special allowance scheme.
As regards the scheme of funeral grants, the position is that it has already been extended since 1 July 1979 to include all veterans who have the duly awarded Service Medal.