asked the Minister for Defence the number of medals issued to applicants in this country to enable them to qualify for pension rights; and the number of recipients of such medals who on application for pension or special allowances have subsequently been told that the medals were incorrectly awarded.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - IRA Special Allowances.
29.
There is no medal issued by my Department which qualifies anybody for pension rights, but it is presumed that the Deputy has in mind the Service (1971-1921) Medal without Bar in the context of eligibility for special allowance.
Out of somewhat more than 38,000 such medals issued up to June, 1957, about 640 have since been held, on reinvestigation, not to have been duly awarded, when the applicants applied for special allowances. The current system of investigation dates from June, 1957, and the medals issued since then—somewhat more than 9,000—are all regarded as duly awarded for special allowance purposes.
Would the Minister not agree that in many cases where an applicant applies for a pension, it seems to be a reason for the Department withdrawing his medal, as an excuse for not giving the pension?
I have given the Deputy the figures. There were 640 cases in which medals were held not to have been duly awarded out of a total of 38,000. Therefore it does not apply in every case in which a person applies for a special allowance.
Would the Minister not agree that the investigation takes place when application is made for a pension and it is used as an excuse to withdraw the medal?
I am talking about special allowances, not pensions. A man who got a pension was awarded it years ago by the board of assessors or the referee and the pension entitled that man to a medal with bar. We are concerned here with medals without bar issued to applicants. A man cannot apply for a special allowance until the medal is awarded to him. In June, 1957, the Government decided that certain conditions had to be complied with before it could be deemed that the medal was duly awarded. Whenever a person applies for a special allowance, I, as Minister for Defence, have to decide if the medal was duly awarded.
Is the special allowance not the same thing, in effect, as the pension?
No, it is not.
It is a gratuitous pension.
Is it true that you are going to give medals to all the members of the Cabinet?
30.
asked the Minister for Defence if he will consider applying the same means test to those applying for IRA special allowances as that applicable to old age pension recipients.
The means test for special allowances is far from severe having been relaxed on many occasions over recent years including for example the disregarding entirely or substantially of Budgetary increases in social welfare payments and in pensions.
I do not propose to amend it on the lines suggested by the Deputy.