In its report dated 31 July 1990, the Commission on Remuneration and Conditions of Service in the Defence Forces (the Gleeson Commission) recommended that military service allowance should be made pensionable. On foot of this recommendation, an addition to pension in respect of military service allowance was introduced and applies, subject to certain conditions, to personnel retiring on or after 1 August 1990, that is the day following publication of the Gleeson report. Military service allowance has been reckoned in the calculation of the pensions of all qualified retired personnel.
The number of persons currently in receipt of pensions schemes the Defence Forces pensions schemes is 6,353, including 1,674 spouses of deceased personnel. Of these, 5,598 pensioners are not in receipt of an addition to pension in respect of military service allowance. The corresponding figure on 1 October 1993 was 5,755.