3 days ago
Man feels 'let down' after refused son's army allowance
A man whose son was killed while serving with the Irish Defence Forces has found that he is not entitled to keep an allowance which was granted to his wife.
John McNeela's son Private Michael McNeela was killed in Lebanon in 1989 by an by an Israeli-backed militia while on peacekeeping duties.
His mother Kathleen was given a dependents allowance following his death.
She died last year and Mr McNeela asked the State to transfer that allowance to him, but his request was refused.
Speaking on RTÉ's This Week, Mr McNeela called for the Army Pensions Act to be amended.
He said the monthly allowance of €340 "would make a difference to him".
Mr McNeela said that the Defence Forces "couldn't have done enough" for his family after his son's death, but that at the moment he feels "let down and disappointed" and called on Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris to act.
"Not many cases like this comes up. I think there is more the Tánaiste could do," he said.
He added that the military pension system is "not right and is obsolete".
"I would ask the minister to do all he can as he's the only man that can change it," Mr McNeela said.
Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú described the situation as "unfair and mean".
"We require the Government to step up to the mark," he said, as the State should be looking after the families of soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice
"I would much prefer that this was dealt with quietly, that there wasn't a need to do it in the public domain. But unfortunately, that is not the case.
"We've all seen pension anomalies before. We're all open to some sort of interim solution, and there is a requirement to change the legislation".
In a statement, the Department of Defence said it "treats any case involving a deceased soldier with the utmost of sensitivity".
"In this specific case, under the current law, the Army Pensions Act, there is no provision to transfer a Dependants Allowance to another person, at any stage.
"The Secretary General of the Department of Defence will this week raise this case with her colleagues in the Department of Social Protection to see what other supports may be available to Mr McNeela.
"Like all families of deceased soldiers, we will do all we can to support them," it said.
