I move:—
Go ndeontar suim ná raghaidh thar £300,000 chun slánuithe na suime is gá chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1939, chun íocaíochta leis an gCuntas Suncála Pinsean (Achtanna um Pinsin do Bhaintreacha agus do Dhílleachtaithe, 1935 go 1937 (Uimh. 29 de 1935, Alt 42 (2) agus Uimh. 11 de 1937, Alt 21)).
That a sum not exceeding £300,000 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1939, for payment to the Pensions Investment Account (Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Acts, 1935 to 1937 (No. 29 of 1935, Section 42 (2) and No. 11 of 1937, Section 21)).
The sum now asked for is to complete the annual sum of £450,000 which is required to be paid into the Pensions Investment Account under Section 42 of the Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Act, 1935, as amended by Section 21 of the Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Act, 1937. The Acts provide that in the year 1937-38 and in each of the next seven succeeding years a sum of £450,000 shall be paid into the account out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas. The finance of the scheme is based on the assumption that in the early years the income to the Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Fund would be more than sufficient to meet the pension payments, but that in the later years this position would be reversed and that a point would be reached when the normal income to the fund would be insufficient to meet the outgoings. For this reason it was considered prudent to arrange that the State subvention required to supplement the contributions of employers and employed persons should be distributed over periods of ten years in equal annual instalments in order to avoid undesirable increases in the annual amounts required to be voted by the Oireachtas. The intention is that the excess income in the earlier years should be invested and held to make good the deficiency in income which will emerge in later years. The amount of £450,000 accordingly represents an equalising payment up to and including the financial year 1944-1945, after which the position will be subject to review.
The Act of 1937 considerably extended the scope of the non-contributory scheme of pensions which as from the 2nd July, 1937, are payable in respect of all necessitous widows (except those under 55 with no dependent children) and all necessitous orphans. Further, in ascertaining the financial resources of a claimant to a non-contributory pension, that is to say, in applying the "means test" certain relaxations of the conditions laid down in the 1935 Act were made.
The result of the Amending Act of 1937 was to increase considerably the number of new claims for non-contributory pensions. In addition, there was a large number of cases where claims under the 1935 Act had been rejected, or a reduced rate of pension had been awarded, or where the pension had terminated under the provisions of that Act. It was necessary to re-examine all those cases in the light of the provisions of the 1937 Act. A total of 16,322 claims were re-examined, made up as follows:— 12,423 cases in which pension was refused under the 1935 Act; 3,414 cases where reduced pensions had been granted; 485 cases where a pension had been awarded but had been terminated.
The following is a statement as at the 11th March of the number of claims received, pensions awarded and pensions refused. The total number of claims for contributory and non-contributory pensions which have been received is 40,355. Out of this number, pensions have been awarded in 32,673 cases, pensions were refused in 5,643 cases, claims were withdrawn or deemed to be withdrawn in 1,015 cases and there are 1,024 cases under consideration.
Contributory pensions.—4,760 claims for contributory pensions have been received. Many of these claims were made in respect of persons who were not insured under the Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Acts, and after being formally rejected under the contributory provisions they were transferred to the non-contributory class. In addition, there was a number of cases where the qualifying conditions for the payment of a contributory pension were not satisfied and these also were treated as claims to non-contributory pensions. The total number of cases transferred from the contributory to the non-contributory class was 2,114. Out of the remaining 2,646 cases contributory pensions were awarded in 2,274 cases and there are 349 cases under consideration. Twenty-three claims were withdrawn.
Non-contributory pensions.—35,595 claims for non-contributory pensions have been received, to which should be added the 2,114 claims for contributory pensions, which were either not properly within the contributory class, or which failed to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the grant of contributory pensions. Out of these 37,709 cases, non-contributory pensions have been awarded in 30,399 cases; pensions were refused in 5,643 cases; 992 claims were withdrawn or deemed to be withdrawn and there are 675 claims under examination.
Appeals to referees against decisions that pensions were not payable, or were payable at reduced rates have been received in 5,840 cases. The appeals have been decided in 4,887 cases and there were still 953 cases awaiting decision on 11th March. There were in course of payment at the end of February, 2,171 contributory pensions at a weekly cost of £1,615 2s. 6d. and 27,193 non-contributory pensions at a weekly cost of £8,250 12s., a total of 29,364 pensions amounting to £9,865 14s. 6d. per week. These represent payments in respect of 28,586 widows, 20,085 dependent children of widows and 1,186 orphans.