I move:—
Go ndeontar suim ná raghaidh thar £389,060 chun slánuithe na suime is gá chun íochta an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1941, chun Pinsean Créachta agus Mí-ábaltachta, Pinsean Breise agus Pinsean Fear Pósta, Liúntaisí agus Aiscí (Uimh. 26 de 1923, Uimh. 12 de 1927, Uimh. 24 de 1932, agus Uimh. 15 de 1937); chun Pinsean, Liúntaisí agus Aiscí Seirbhíse Míleata (Uimh. 48 de 1924, Uimh. 26 de 1932 agus Uimh. 43 de 1934); chun Pinsean, Liúntaisí agus Aiscí (Uimh. 37 de 1936); agus chun síntiúisí agus costaisí iolardha ina dtaobh san, etc.
That a sum not exceeding £389,060 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, 1941, for Wound and Disability Pensions, Further Pensions and Married Pensions, Allowances and Gratuities (No. 26 of 1923, No. 12 of 1927, No. 24 of 1932, and No. 15 of 1937), Military Service Pensions, Allowances and Gratuities (No. 48 of 1924, No. 26 of 1932 and No. 43 of 1934), Pensions, Allowances and Gratuities (No. 37 of 1936), and for sundry contributions and expenses in respect thereof, etc.
The total amount, £583,590, required for the service of this Vote during the financial year 1940-41, may be roughly divided into the following categories of expenditure:—cost of administration, £19,912; incidental expenses, £4,882; cost of awards, £558,796; total: £583,590.
The cost of administration borne on this Vote is shown as follows:—
Army Pensions Board (sub-heads A and B), £2,975; Military Service Registration Board (sub-heads C and D), £3,841; Reference and Advisory Committee (sub-heads E and F), £13,096; total: £19,912.
The incidental expenses are:—surgical and medical appliances (sub-head I), £300; hospital treatment (sub-head J), £1,250; expenses of applicants (sub-head M), £2,600; other expenses (sub-head N and H), £732; total: £4,882.
The main service of the Vote, the award of pensions, allowances and gratuities, is distributed over five sub-heads according as the service relates to:—(a) disability pensions and gratuities under the Army Pensions Acts, 1923-1937 (sub-head G); (b) allowances and gratuities under the same Acts (sub-head H); (c) service pensions under the Military Service Pensions Acts, 1924-1934 (sub-head K); (d) pensions and gratuities under the Defence Forces Pensions Scheme, 1937 (sub-head L); (e) pensions and allowances under the Connaught Rangers Pensions Act, 1936 (sub-head C).
The total statutory liability under those various Acts is estimated to cost £558,796 during the financial year, but in order to appreciate the significance of those figures it is necessary to distinguish between:—(a) awards actually under payment, (b) awards that may be made during the financial year, (c) the arrears of pensions inherent in some of the awards that may be made during the year, (d) non-recurring awards, such as gratuities.
The awards actually under payment as provided in the Estimate in accordance with Statutes passed by the Oireachtas are:—(a) 423 pensions under the 1923 Act costing £24,362; (b) 120 allowances under the 1923 Act costing £5,822; (c) 115 pensions under the 1927 Act costing £11,400; (d) 88 allowances under the 1927 Act costing £2,846; (e) 443 pensions under the 1932 Act costing £42,516; (f) 167 allowances under the 1932 Act costing £5,841; (g) 105 pensions under the 1937 Act costing £6,495; (h) 28 allowances under the 1937 Act costing £2,990; (i) 3,172 pensions under the 1924 Act costing £151,725; (j) 6,735 pensions under the 1934 Act costing £206,214; (k) 30 pensions under the 1932 Act (Retired Pay) costing £1,620; (l) 38 pensions under the 1936 Act (Connaught Rangers) costing £1,156; Total: 11,464 awards under eight Acts costing £462,987.
In addition to those 11,464 awards costing £462,987, the Estimate provides for new awards as follows: (a) 5 pensions under 1923-27 Acts costing £130; (b) 47 pensions under the 1932 Act costing £3,890; (c) 9 allowances under the 1932 Act costing £311; (d) 37 pensions under the 1937 Act costing £1,556; (e) 60 allowances under the 1937 Act costing £750; (f) 6 pensions under the 1924 Act costing £600; (g) 768 pensions under the 1934 Act costing £19,200; (h) 7 pensions under the 1932 Act (Retired Pay) costing £423; total: 939 awards under 8 Acts costing £26,860.
Certain of the 939 awards carry, however, with them arrears of pensions, and the arrears for which the Estimate provides are:—under the 1932 Act, for pensions £11,600; under the 1932 Act, for allowances £880; under the 1937 Act, for pensions £1,134; under the 1937 Act, for allowances £2,125; under the 1934 Act, for pensions £91,988; total arrears: £107,727.
This £107,727 is, of course, non-recurring. Another non-recurring item included in the Estimate is the award of gratuities as distinct from pensions or allowances, and the gratuities provided for are:—Under the 1937 Act, £1,140; under the 1927 Act, £90; under the 1932 Act, £325; under the 1932 Act (Retired Pay), £900; total: £2,455.
The cost of the main service of the Vote, the cost of awards, is, therefore, briefly: awards under payment, £462,987; new awards, £26,860; arrears following new awards, £107,727, and gratuities, £2,455 a total of £600,029 It will thus be seen that of the total £600,029, no less than the sum of £110,182 is a non-recurring liability. From this sum of £600,029, there have to be made deductions in respect of deaths, and abatements under Section 8 of the 1924 Act, Section 20 of the 1934 Act and Section 15 (1) of the 1932 Act (retired pay) in respect of pensioners being in receipt of remuneration, other pensions or allowances payable out of public moneys. On foot of such abatements, a sum of £36,709 is estimated to be saved and another sum of £4,524 is expected not to fall for payment owing to casualties during the year. Hence from the £600,029, we deduct £41,233 and get, as the net cost of awards, the sum of £558,796, of which £448,614 may be regarded as a recurring item of annual expenditure.
The work of the three statutory boards which are administering the various Acts is proceeding satisfactorily. The Military Service Registration Board has dealt with over 6,500 applications for service certificates under the Disability Acts, and on March 31st, there were only about 150 cases outstanding. The work of this board on at least a full-time basis should, therefore, be completed within the near future. The Army Pensions Board has practically completed its work on the 1932 Act proper, but has yet to deal with about 650 cases which are either proper to the 1937 Act itself, or fall under the Acts of 1923, 1927 and 1932 as amended or extended by the 1937 Act. The end of the present financial year should see the most of these cases disposed of.
As regards applications for service certificates under the 1934 Act, the referee had issued, on 31st March, 7,039 favourable reports qualifying for pensions and had confirmed 28,659 unfavourable reports by the advisory committee in respect of persons who prima facie were not likely to come within the scope of the Act. In the case of all such persons allowance must be made for appeals, but it is anticipated that all reports, whether favourable or unfavourable, will be finally completed within a period of about three years.