asked the Minister for Justice if he will arrange for the insurance of gardaí under the Social Welfare Acts, so as to ensure entitlement to widows' and orphans' pensions.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Insurance of Gardaí
42.
As the Deputy is probably aware, the Garda Síochána Pensions Orders provide for the payment of pensions to the widows and orphans of deceased members of the Garda Síochána. Persons in receipt of those pensions are also eligible, subject to a means test, to receive a pension under the social welfare code on a noncontributory basis.
The question of arranging that members within the statutory income limit would become insurable under the Social Welfare Acts for widows' and orphans' pensions on a contributory basis has been under examination by my Department in conjunction with the Departments of Finance and Social Welfare but I am not in a position at present to say what the outcome will be.
May I ask the Minister if he is not conscious of the bitter sense of resentment that does exist amongst widows of members of the Garda Síochána? When the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Finance provide some money for what they regard as widows' pensions, it not infrequently results in a reduction of the widows' pensions these widows are receiving from another source. When he is reviewing this question, in consultation with the Minister for Social Welfare, can he devise a plan that will ensure that any settlement provided by the Department of Justice and the Department of Finance for widows will not operate to produce a corresponding reduction in the benefit made available from the Department of Social Welfare?
The question relates to insurance under the Social Welfare Acts. In that respect, I am very sympathetically disposed and have raised the matter with the Ministers for Social Welfare and Finance. Discussions are being pursued at the moment with a view to the resolving of that matter and the inclusion of Garda officers within the definition of the social welfare code.
That will mean that hereafter they will be getting a contributory pension which will not be affected by any increase the Minister for Justice or the Minister for Finance provides under the Garda (Widows' and Orphans' Pensions) Acts?
That has to be worked out. At any rate, the Deputy can be assured that I am sympathetically disposed towards the Force in the matter. It has to be resolved between the three Departments concerned and I hope that will happen in the near future.
Will the Minister bear this aspect of the matter in mind?