Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 672: To ask the Minister for Defence further to his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 414 of 6 April 2006 the outcome from his Department's investigation of the prospect of releasing information on military service pensions files and the 1916 to 1923 medals files, both of which are up to 90 years old; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34645/06]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The Government has decided that the Department of Defence files relating to the successful pension applications of persons who took part in the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence should be made available to all. On 9 April, 2006, An Taoiseach announced that he was establishing a working group, to be chaired by his Department, on the requirements to preserve, archive and digitalise those records, having due regard to any privacy requirements. This group has since been established and is addressing the matter.

It is the intention of the Government that the records will be made available in good time for the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising in 2016.