asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if there are any provisions made for auxiliary postmen who have to retire at the age of 65 and who have no means.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Auxiliary Postmen.
Auxiliary postmen who have no means are not required to retire at the age of 65 if they are physically fit to perform the duties of their post. If it is necessary for them to retire on the ground of ill-health they are, in the ordinary course, eligible for sickness benefit under the National Health Insurance Act. In certain circumstances, auxiliary postmen on retirement are eligible for a grant from a special fund at the disposal of the Minister.
Is the Minister aware that those men walk 16 or 17 miles a day for a considerable number of years, and very often they are not fit for further service at 65. Many of them have to go to the county home if they happen to get sick. Can anything be done for them between the time when they reach 65 years and the time they become eligible for the old age pension at 70 years?
I cannot add anything to the answer I have given.