Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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1461. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if arrangements are in place whereby a family can have old IRA medals that have been lost over the years replaced; the provisions in place to deal with requests from families on these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19481/17]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Defence receives requests from time to time for the replacement of lost, stolen or destroyed medals awarded to veterans of the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence. In relation to such requests, it has been settled policy for many years that replacement medals were issued on a once-off only basis on receipt of a bona fide request from the veteran to whom the original medals were awarded. This policy was adopted in the interest of preserving the intrinsic value of the medals and to strictly limit the number of medals issued in any particular case. Although all of the Veterans are now deceased, the rationale for restricting the issue of replacement medals is still valid. Apart from the intrinsic value of the medals, their monetary value on the open market is also a factor. In 2006, the then Minister for Defence decided that, where 1916 Rising/War of Independence medals had been lost, stolen or destroyed, official certificates, in both Irish and English, would be issued in such cases confirming that the relevant medal(s) was/were awarded to the named Veteran. The procedure in such cases is that the family can obtain an application form from the Pensions Administration Section of the Department of Defence in Áras an tSáile, Renmore, Galway (telephone 091 743899 or email – pensions.admin@defence.ie). Once the form is completed and returned to the Department, the details will be verified by the Department and, if in order, the relevant certificate/s will be issued (generally to the next of kin) on a once-off basis.