Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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129. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to detail the interaction there has been between his Department’s secretary-general and the counterpart in the Department of Defence regarding a person (details supplied) who was denied the transfer of a Defence Forces’ pension that was given to his late wife following the death of their son while on UN duty in Lebanon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32381/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Secretary General of the Department of Defence spoke with the Secretary General of my Department on 12 June about this case.The case concerns access to a military pension for the father of a Defence Forces member who died in service.Military pensions are not a matter for my Department - they are neither provided for in Social Welfare legislation nor are they administered by the Department. The policy with respect to these pensions, the administration of payments and the terms under which they are made available are entirely a matter for the Department of Defence.That said, the Secretary General of my Department advised his counterpart that if the person concerned is suffering from financial hardship they may be entitled to receive other statutory benefits, including the non-contributory state pension, or supplementary welfare allowance, from this Department on the same terms as other people in the State. He undertook to ensure that the case was looked at expeditiously on receipt of the relevant details.It is important to note that the persons concerned status as a parent of a deceased member of the Defence Forces is not a material factor to be considered in the assessment their entitlement to social welfare payments.I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.