Tairgim go léifí an Bille athuair anois. Is é is mó atá sa Bhille, méaduithe a dheonadh ar phinsin chréachta, ar phinsin mhíthreora agus ar phinsin phósta agus ar liúntais áirithe do chleithiúnaithe ar dhaoine marbha, is iníoctha faoi na hAchtanna Arm-Phinsean, 1923 go 1959. Tá éifeacht ag na méaduithe ón lú Lúnasa, 1959, i leith, agus tá siad á n-íoc ón lá sin amach ar údaráis Meastacháin Bhreise le haghaidh pinsean a ritheadh sa Teach seo ar an 22ú Iúil, 1959.
Tríd is tríd, tá na méaduithe a bhfuil trácht orthu in Ailt 2 go 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. Tá pinsinéirí oifigeach a bhfuil a bpinsin gaolmhar dá bpá Airm ar dháta a n-urscaoilte, ag fáil méadú de 6%, má urscaoileadh iad roimh an lú Meán Fómhair, 1949, agus méadú de 4%, má urscaoileadh iad ar nó tar éis an dáta sin agus roimh an lú Aibreán, 1950. (Ós rud é go ngabhann na dátaí sin le hathruithe ar phá an Airm, meastar go bhfuil siad níos oiriúnaí mar dhátaí cáilitheacha 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 na méaduithe sin de 6% agus 4% faoi réir na teorann, áfach, nach mbeidh de thoradh orthu, pinsean a mhéadú thar an tsuim a bheadh iníoctha, dá n-urscaoiltí an pinsinéir 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, measadh gur chóir an liúntas a bheadh iníoctha léi faoi Chuid II den Acht Arm-Phinscan, 1937, a mhéadú go dtí an tsuim a bheadh ann, dá gcuirtí méadú an dá bhliain 1956 agus 1959 leis, is é sin, 6% i ngach cás ar leith. Tá soláthar déanta dá réir sin le hAlt 17 den Bhille. Meastar go gcosnóidh na méaduithe a sholáthraítear sa Bhille £11,500 in aghaidh na bliana.
Tá Alt 26 ceaptha chun amhras a chur as an tslí i dtaobh lán-chomh. líonadh na hintinne a bhí mar bhun le hAlt 2 den Acht Arm-Phinsean, 1959—is é sin, an coinníoll maidir le cleithiúnas a bhaint as an Dara agus an Tríú Sceidil leis an Acht 1923 i leith baintreacha agus leanaí daoine marbha lenar bhain na Sceidil. Tharla nár luadh san fhoráil leasaitheach de 1959 Alt amháin acu sin (Alt 2 den Acht Arm-Phinsean, 1946) a thug cumhacht ina leith seo agus a ghabh leis na Sceidil ach tá sin á dhéanamh anois le héifeacht ón dáta ar a ritheadh an tAcht 1959.
Le hAlt 27 tugtar cumhacht chun feidhm a bheith ag an am-theorainn fhadaithe faoi Alt 9 den Acht de 1959 maidir le hiarratas ar liúntas faoi Chuid II den Acht de 1953 ó ghaol do dhuine marbh ag a raibh seirbhís roimh an sos agus a thagann i dteideal an liúntais tar éis bás an ghaoil lenar íocadh i dtosach báire é. Bhí ar intinn feidhm a bheith ag lamháltas an Achta 1959 ina leitheid sin de chás.
Tá Alt 28 ceaptha chun an srian a bhaint amach a forchuireadh le hAlt 37 den Acht Arm-Phinsean, 1953, le méadú ar "ath-phinsin" nó ar phinsin "phósta" áirithe a deonadh do dhaoine a urscaoileadh tar éis an dáta (lú Eanáir, 1953) ar a raibh éifeacht ag an srian sin. Nuair a bhí na "hath-phinsin" nó na pinsin "phósta" sin ina gcuid de phinsin mhíchumais ba mhó iontu féin ní i dteannta pinsin Óglaigh na hÉireann ná £450 sa bhliain, coisceadh iad le téarmaí Ailt 37 den Acht 1953 ar na méaduithe a tharraingt chucu a deonadh sna hAchtanna 1953 agus 1957. Is é atá ceaptha le hAlt 28 den Bhille an srian sin a bhaint amach chun a thabhairt go mbeidh éifeacht ag na méaduithe a bhaineann leis na "hath-phinsin" nó na pinsin "phósta" sin ón lú Lúnasa, 1959, amach.
Tá súil agam gur cabhrach mar mhíniú ar an mBille an cur síos atá déanta agam air agus, le linn dom bheith ag críochnú, déanfaidh mé trácht ar aon phointí eile ar gá eolas nó míniú a thabhairt ina dtaobh.
The Bill is mainly concerned with the grant of increases in wound, disability and married pensions and in certain allowances to dependants of deceased persons, payable under the Army Pensions Acts 1923 to 1959. The increases are effective from 1st August, 1959, and in fact are being paid since that date on the authority of a Supplementary Estimate for pensions passed in this House 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. Officer Pensioners whose pensions are related to their Army pay at the date of their discharge are receiving an increase of 6 per cent. if discharged before 1st September, 1949, and 4 per cent. if they were discharged on or after that date and before 1st April, 1950. These dates, being associated with Army pay changes, are considered to be more appropriate qualifying dates than 1st November, 1948, and 1st November, 1952 the dates mentioned in the Budget Statement for other State pensioners. The 6 per cent. and 4 per cent. increases mentioned are subject to the limitation, however, that they must not have the effect of increasing a pension 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 per cent. 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, it was considered that the amount of the allowance payable to her under Part II of the Army Pensions Act, 1937, should be increased to the level which it would have reached if both the 1956 and 1959 increases applied (6 per cent. in each case). Section 17 of the Bill provides accordingly. The estimated annual cost of the increases provided in the Bill is £11,500.
Section 26 is designed to remove a doubt which arose whether Section 2 of the Army Pensions Act, 1959, fully implemented the intention underlying that section—which was 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. One of the enabling Sections associated with these Schedules (Section 2 of the Army Pensions Act, 1946) was not cited in the 1959 amending provision and this is now being done—with effect from the date on which the Act of 1959 was passed.
Section 27 enables the extended time limit afforded by Section 9 of the Act of 1959 to 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. It was intended that the 1959 Act concession should have applied in such a case.
Section 28 is designed to terminate the restriction imposed by Section 37 of the Army Pensions Act, 1953, on the increase of certain "further" or "married" pensions granted to persons discharged subsequent to the date (1st January, 1953) on which the restriction operated. Such "further" or "married" pensions—where they formed part of disablement pensions which alone or when aggregated with Defence Force pensions exceeded £450 per annum—were prevented by the terms of Section 37 of the Act of 1953 from attracting the increases awarded in the Acts of 1953 and 1957. The purpose of Section 28 of the Bill is to remove that restriction so that with effect from 1st August, 1959, the increases applicable to these "further" or "married" pensions will be enabled to take effect.
I hope that the outline which I have given of the contents of the Bill will have proved informative and helpful and I will endeavour to deal, when I am concluding, with any points on which further information or explanation may be required.