Willie Penrose
Question:148 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Defence the number of people in receipt of Army pensions who do not receive the military service allowance; and the cost of awarding this allowance to these people. [19638/99]
Written Answers. - Defence Forces Retirement Scheme.
There are currently some 4,800 Defence Forces' pensioners, including spouses of deceased personnel, who are not in receipt of an addition to pension in respect of military service allowance. The estimated cost of extending this benefit to such pensioners is £4.8 million a year. In addition to the direct cost to my Department, there would be considerable cost implications for other areas of the public service.