Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 33:

In page 20, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: “Amendment of Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014

21.The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 45:

“45A.(1) Subject to section 45, a person who was a member of the staff of the Human Rights Commission and who—

(a) prior to the establishment day, ceased employment with the Human Rights Commission, or

(b) has a preserved superannuation benefit with the Human Rights Commission,

shall, with effect from the date of commencement of this section, be deemed to be a civil servant in the Civil Service of the State in respect of superannuation benefits payable, in accordance with the provisions of those schemes, as a result of his or her membership of the superannuation schemes created under section 20 of the Human Rights Commission Act 2000.

(2) With effect from the date of commencement of this section, superannuation benefits referred to in subsection (1) shall be payable by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform out of funds provided by the Oireachtas.”.”.

As set out on Committee Stage, this amendment provides for an amendment to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 to allow for the payment of pensions for retired former staff of the Human Rights Commission through the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Section 45 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act provides for the transfer of staff of the Irish Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The new section 45A will address an anomaly regarding the pension provision for the former staff of the Human Rights Commission to have their pension payments made by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

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