Vol. 419 No. 9
24 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Defence if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some Army pensioners throughout the country are finding it very difficult to secure their pension cheques; and whether consideration is being given to alternative means of having them delivered until the postal strike ends.
42 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Defence if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some Army pensioners throughout the country are finding it very difficult to secure their pension cheques; and whether consideration is being given to alternative means of having them delivered until the postal strike ends.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 and 42 together.
Pensions and allowances payable by my Department are paid on the 20th of each month. The April pension cheques issued before the postal dispute began and, therefore were delivered on time. Arrangements are being made to have cheques available for collection by pensioners at military installations throughout the country and at the Department's offices in Dublin and Galway.
These arrangements are being published in the daily papers but if pensioners have any problems in this regard they should contact my Department.
I very much welcome the assurance just given by the Minister of State, to the effect that pensions will reach their beneficiaries because anxiety had been expressed about the side effects of the postal strike — with no attempt being made to settle it — having an adverse effect on payments to Army pensioners.
