Vol. 357 No. 7
asked the Minister for Communications in view of representations already made to him in relation to the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7 and as a final or satisfactory reply on the matter has not as yet been received, if he will now give an up to date reply.
628.
asked the Minister for Communications in view of representations already made to him in relation to a case (details supplied) and as a final or satisfactory reply on the matter has not as yet been received, if he will now give an up to date reply.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 627 and 628 together.
Under the Irish seamen's compensation scheme, pensions and allowances are paid to seamen who were injured due to warfare while serving on Irish ships during the 1939-1945 Emergency period and to widows and other dependants of seamen who lost their lives in similar circumstances during that period. The statutory authority for payment of such pensions and allowances is the Continuation of Compensation Schemes Act, 1946, which continued in force the Emergency Powers (No. 263) Order, 1943.
Under the scheme a person may be awarded a pension if he was a dependant of a seaman and is in pecuniary need and incapable of self support. When the seaman referred to in the Deputy's question was reported missing, his parents' claim to an allowance under the seamens' compensation scheme was investigated and disallowed because pecuniary need was absent. The person referred to in the Deputy's question was not a dependant of the missing seaman, and, consequently, he is not eligible for an allowance under the scheme. The person in question and his solicitors were informed of the position by letters from my Department in February and August 1984, respectively.
