asked the Minister for Defence why the practice of paying an allowance to a serving member of the Defence Forces and a separate allowance to his wife has been discontinued; and if he will make arrangements to revert to the old system of payment.
Ceisteanna—Questious. Oral Answers. - Defence Force Allowances.
33.
The practice was discontinued so that married soldiers, like married employees of the public sector generally, would personally receive their entire remuneration. While the answer to the second part of the question is "No", I might mention that it is permissible for married soldiers to make voluntary allotments in certain circumstances.
There is a scheme whereby retired members of the Defence Forces and Old IRA veterans have free travel facilities and the concession is also available to their wives. One of the conditions is that they must travel together. That condition causes a certain amount of hardship and difficulty at times with the result that sometimes the wives are unable to benefit.
The question relates to the paying of allowances.
Perhaps the Deputy would put down a question. I have great sympathy with the Deputy's point of view in relation to the wives of retired members of the Defence Forces and the wives of the Old IRA veterans so far as their entitlement to free travel is concerned.