Is é príomh-chuspóir an Bhille éifeacht reachtúil a thabhairt do na méaduithe ar phinsin chréachta, ar phinsin mhíchumais agus ar phinsin phósta agus ar liúntais áirithe do chleithiúnaithe daoine marbha a deonadh ón lú Lúnasa, 1959, amach, ar údarás Meastacháin Bhreise le haghaidh pinsean a ritheadh i nDáil Éireann ar an 22ú Iúil, 1959.
Tríd is tríd, tá na méaduithe sin, a bhfuil trácht déanta orthu in Alt 2 go hAlt 25 go huile, de réir na méaduithe le haghaidh pinsinéirí Stáit, i gcoitinne, a údaraíodh ag an Aire Airgeadais ina Ráiteas ar an gCáinaisnéis in Aibreán, 1959, ach nuair a luaitear dátaí cáilitheacha maidir le hurscaoileadh, meastar, ós dátaí an lú Meán Fómhair, 1949, agus an lú Aibreán, 1950, a ghabhann le hathruithe ar phá an Airm, go bhfuil siad níos oiriúnaí ina leith sin ná an lú Samhain, 1948, agus an lú Samhain, 1952—is é sin, na dátaí a luadh sa Ráiteas Cáinaisnéise do phinsinéirí eile Stáit. Tá pinsinéirí oifigeach a bhfuil a bpinsin gaolmhar do phá, ag fáil méaduithe de 6% nó de 4% (de réir an dáta urscaoilte) faoi réir na teorann, áfach, nach féidir pinsean a mhéadú thar an tsuim a bheadh iníochta dá n-urscaoiltí an duine atá á fháil ar an 2ú Samhain, 1952, sa chéim chéanna, leis an tseirbhís chéanna agus faoin ngrád céanna míchumais. Tá pinsinéirí eile faoi na hAchtanna, nach bhfuil a bpinsin gaolmhar do phá an Airm, ag fáil méadú de 6%. I gcás baintreach le Síniúir an Fhorógra, 1916, áfach, nach bhfuair méadú ar a liúntas bliantúil nuair a méadaíodh pinsin Stáit i 1956, tá an liúntas is iníochta léi faoi Chuid II den Acht Arm-Phinsean, 1937, á mhéadú (le hAilt 17) chun go mbeidh sé mar a bheadh, dá mbaineadh méaduithe 1956 agus 1959 leis—is é sin 6% i ngach cás ar leith. Meastar go gcosnóidh na méaduithe atá á soláthar sa Bhille £11,500 in aghaidh na bliana. Nuair a bhí an coinníoll i dtaobh cleithiúnas i leith baintreacha agus leanaí daoine marbha lenar bhain an Dara agus an Tríú Sceidil leis an Acht 1923 á thógaint as na Sceidil sin le hAlt 2 den Acht 1959, tharla nár luadh Alt amháin (Alt 2 den Acht Arm Phinsean, 1946) de na hAilt a thug cumhacht chuige agus a bhí ag gabháil leis na Sceidil. Tá sin á dhéanamh anois in Alt 26 den Bhille seo agus le héifeacht amhail ón dáta ar a ritheadh an tAcht 1959.
Bhí ar intinn feidhm a bheith ag an am-theorainn fhadaithe atá ann faoi Alt 9 den Acht 1959 maidir le hiarratas ar liúntas faoi Chuid II den Acht 1953, ó ghaol do dhuine marbh ag a raibh seirbhís roimh an Sos, a thagann i dteideal an liúntais tar éis bás a ghaoil lenar íocadh ar dtús é. Tá an intinn sin á cur in éifeacht le hAlt 27 den Bhille seo.
Le hAlt 37 den Acht Arm-Phinsean, 1953, cuireadh srian le "hath-phinsin" nó le pinsin "phósta" áirithe a mhéadú nuair a bhí siad ina gcuid de phinsin mhíchumais ba mhó iontu féin nó i dteannta pinsin Óglaigh na hÉireann, ná £450 sa bhliain. Is chuige Alt 28 den Bhille seo chun an srian sin a bhaint amach i gcás pinsinéirí a urscaoileadh (scoireadh) tar éis an lú Eanáir, 1953, trína thabhairt, go mbeidh éifeacht sna cásanna sin ag na méaduithe a bhaineann le "hathphinsin" nó le pinsin "phósta".
Tugadh Ailt 29 agus 30 isteach mar leasuithe ag céim Choiste an Bhille i nDáil Éireann de bhun iarratais ina leith a rinneadh ag roinnt Teachtaí. Ceapadh na hailt sin chun go bhféadfaidh daoine ag a raibh seirbhís roimh an Sos cáiliú le haghaidh pinsean pósta agus chun go bhféadfaidh a gcleithiúnaithe cáiliú le haghaidh liúntas—ar choinníoll go ndearnadh an pósadh roimh an 5ú Lúnasa, 1953, agus go gcomhlíontar, ar ndóigh, gach rud eile atá leagtha síos ag an Acht. Ba é an 5ú Lúnasa, 1943, an dáta a achtaíodh an tAcht-Phinsean, 1953, agus, faoin Acht sin, fadaíodh an dáta cáilitheach cheana go dtí an 10ú Nollaig, 1932.
Tá súil agam go bhfaighidh Seanadóirí sa ghearr-chuntas seo ar théarmaí an Bhille, léargas ginearálta ar a bhfuil sa Bhille ar fad.
The main object of the Bill is to give statutory effect to the increases in wound, disability and married pensions and in certain allowances to dependants of deceased persons which were granted from 1st August, 1959, on the authority of a Supplementary Estimate for pensions passed in Dáil Éireann on 22nd July, 1959.
The increases, which are dealt with in Sections 2 to 25 inclusive are broadly in accordance with the increases for State pensioners, generally, authorised by the Minister for Finance in his Budget Statement in April, 1959, except that where qualifying dates of discharge are mentioned, 1st September, 1949 and 1st April, 1950, being dates associated with Army pay changes, are considered to be more appropriate than 1st November, 1948, and 1st November, 1952, the dates mentioned in the Budget Statement for other State pensioners. Officer pensioners whose pensions are related to pay are receiving 6 % or 4% increases (depending on date of discharge) subject to the limitation, however, that a pension must not increase beyond the amount which would be payable if the recipient had been discharged on 2nd November, 1952, with similar rank, service and degree of disablement. Other pensioners under the Acts, whose pensions are not related to Army pay are receiving an increase of 6%. In the case, however, of the widow of a Signatory of the 1916 Proclamation who did not receive an increase in her annual allowance when State pensions were increased in 1956, the amount of the allowance payable to her under Part II of the Army Pensions Act, 1937, is being increased (in Section 17) to the level which it would have reached if both the 1956 and 1959 increases applied (6% in each case). The estimated annual cost of the increases provided in the Bill is £11,500.
When the removal from the Second and Third Schedules to the Act of 1923 of the dependency requirement in respect of the widows and children of deceased persons to whom the Schedules applied was being effected in Section 2 of the Act of 1959, one of the enabling Sections associated with these Schedules (Section 2 of the Army Pensions Act, 1946) was not cited. This is now being done in Section 26 of this Bill—with effect from the date on which the Act of 1959 was passed.
It was intended that the extended time limit afforded by Section 9 of the Act of 1959 should operate in respect of an application for an allowance under Part II of the Act of 1953 from a surviving relative of a deceased person with pre-Truce service who becomes entitled to the allowance after the death of the relative to whom it was first paid. Section 27 of this Bill gives effect to that intention.
Section 37 of the Army Pensions Act, 1953, imposed a restriction on the increase of certain "further" or "married" pensions where they formed part of disablement pensions which, alone or when aggregated with Defence Force pensions, exceeded £450 per annum. The purpose of Section 28 is to remove that restriction in the cases of pensioners discharged after 1st January, 1953, so that from 1st August, 1959, the increases applicable to "further" or "married" pensions will be enabled to take effect in such cases.
Sections 29 and 30 were introduced (by way of amendments on the Committee stage of the Bill in Dáil Éireann) in response to representations which were made by a number of Deputies. The sections are designed to enable persons with pre-Truce service to qualify for married pensions— and their dependants for allowances— if the marriage took place before 5th August, 1953, and if, of course, all the other requirements of the Acts are complied with as well. The 5th August, 1953, was the date of enactment of the Army Pensions Act, 1953 (under which the qualifying date had already been extended to 10th December, 1932).
I trust that this précis of the terms of the Bill will have furnished Seanadóiri with an outline of what is contained in the measure.