Results 32,661-32,680 of 34,832 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I appreciate the Minister's understanding of the point of my amendment. I was trying to frame an amendment that would not be ruled out of order and so it was drafted in a particular way. I wanted to use the amendment to raise the point and it had to be quite narrow in its specification. This is a matter that should be considered because there has been anger about some people who drove off...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: Amendments Nos. 28 and 29 are grouped for discussion purposes. I welcome the Minister back to the Chamber. I know he was otherwise detained earlier today. I have said most of what I have to say on this amendment. It deals with fast accrual pensions and mostly affects the boys in uniform - prison officers, gardaí and members of the Defence Forces and fire brigades - about whom the Minister...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I wish to speak specifically on one point I did not make. We understand the formula referred to in the appendix states at present pension rates are based on the residual part of final pay after subtracting twice the rate of the contributory State pension. This ensures a minimum floor for low-paid public sector workers. A person who never worked in the public sector and who has a spouse...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: Receive a pension.

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: We agree with this. Up to now under this formula there was not an exact link, but generally the rate of increase of the old age pension matched increases in standards of living in society which were generally not too far removed from increases in public sector pay. I do not know whether anyone has figures on this, but generally we have tried to look after people on the State pension as...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: On the basis of the document we received yesterday I will withdraw the amendment.

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: Amendments Nos. 28 and 29 deal with the issue of uniformed workers working on behalf of the State, specifically members of the Garda Síochána, the Permanent Defence Forces, prison officers and specified fire brigade employees. These are people in uniform who deal with emergency and other security services. Everybody knows they have a difficult task to do, which is getting more difficult...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: That is very close to what he said.

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I am not quoting him. I am paraphrasing and saying that was the gist of what he said. We have gone through large sections of this legislation and we spent eight hours on Committee Stage. In that time I was surprised by the Minister's attitude in just a couple of instances. This was one of them. In general, he was fair and reasonable and we could agree to disagree on issues, but when it...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: We understand all that. Perhaps the Minister is not happy with the level of public sector pensions, but we will come to that later. If the Minister wants to cut current public service pensions, he must bring forward proposals, but will not get much support on that. If it is the Department's view that previous arrangements have given the public sector grade of workers to whom we have been...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I will not indulge you too long, a Cheann Comhairle. I want to outline some of the allowances. Approximately 20 allowances are being paid in the Department of the Taoiseach. The list from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade includes the child allowance, to which the Minister of State referred, for people who were in the public service before a set period, which does not apply....

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: Yes, exactly. As soon as this reply appeared last week, I received telephone calls at my constituency office in Castletown from Donegal and everywhere else asking what was I talking about. I said that I merely published the Minister's reply to the question and I made no comment. In regard to the Department of Defence, I am sure the Air Traffic Control officer's allowance is well justified....

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I move amendment No. 14: In page 23, after line 45, to insert the following: "(10) Scheme members shall be entitled to purchase years of notional service and the Minister shall publish purchase tables and the rate of contribution for notional service before the enactment of this Act.". The Minister of State will appreciate what I am proposing in this amendment. We raised this matter on...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I formulated the amendment in such a way as to raise the issue for debate and clarify the points. It is a way of asking the Minister to publish the purchase tables. I agree that information on the notional service purchase scheme for teachers, dated September 2011, was provided on Committee Stage. I note there is a limit to the number of notional years a person may purchase. For example,...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I move amendment No. 18: In page 25, between lines 44 and 45, to insert the following: "(3) Where a formula is being used for the calculation of retirement benefits, the Minister shall publish the basis for such formula, prior to the enactment of this Act.". In the course of calculating what a pension would be based on, the matter proceeded to the Labour Court, which made an adjudication and...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: Yes. Some 300,000 public servants are beginning to realise the importance of this debate. One section of the Bill affects them, but we will discuss it later. In general, the Bill only affects new entrants. By and large, new entrants who retire after 43 years, having paid for three years longer, will have pensions in the order of 80% of what they would have been under the current scheme....

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: There is a bit of time put aside for this and the essence of the Bill is in this sentence. The new scheme will save 35% and the charts that indicate pensioners will be on approximately 80% of current arrangements is not a fair reflection. Some €500 million will be saved from the change to career average earnings and there will be €300 million in savings from people having to work three...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: The amendment dealt with the calculation formula.

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: It is over ten or 20 years.

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Report Stage (11 Jul 2012)

Seán Fleming: I move amendment No. 9: In page 19, after line 45, to insert the following: "(5) The Minister shall publish a full list of allowances which shall be classed as pensionable under the scheme.". Section 11 deals with the issue of pensionability of allowances, emoluments and related payments. On Committee Stage I tabled a simple amendment asking the Minister to publish the full list of...