Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy is aware, on 5 December the Government agreed that the compulsory retirement age of public servants recruited before 1 April 2004 would be increased to 70. This is the only group of public servants who currently have a compulsory retirement age of less than 70. Primary legislation is required for the change approved by Government to be implemented.

The Government has approved, on my proposal, the general scheme of the Bill to give effect to its decision to increase the compulsory retirement age for most public servants recruited before 1 April 2004. I have asked the Attorney General to prioritise the drafting of this legislation so that the new compulsory retirement age will become effective as soon as possible.

The drafting process is under way and an initial draft of the Bill is being prepared. The Bill is on the list of priority legislation for publication in the spring-summer session of this year. It is not possible to determine the length of time it will take for it to be drafted and passed by the House of the Oireachtas, given the scheduling requirements and composition of the House. However, it is being treated as a priority and it is my intention to bring forward the necessary legislation as soon as possible.

The new compulsory retirement age will not come into effect until the necessary legislation is commenced. In the meantime, the Government has approved some limited interim arrangements to apply in the intervening period between the Government decision and the commencement of the necessary legislation. The interim arrangements which have to respect the current statutory position on the compulsory retirement age of 65 years, through retirement and rehire, allow affected public servants who reach the age of 65 years during that period to remain in employment until they reach the age of eligibility for the State contributory pension, which is currently 66 years. Details of the interim measures have been put in place by relevant sectors.

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