Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 240: To ask the Minister for Transport if he has sought a report on the funding base of the pension fund for airline and aviation workers in the public sector; if they are in a position to award pension increases in 2008; and if his Department has issued policy guidelines in terms of pension fund gaps or contributions. [16010/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The majority of the Dublin Airport Authority's employees are members of the Irish Airlines (General Employees) Superannuation Scheme (the IAS Scheme). The IAS scheme is operated in conjunction with Aer Lingus and SR Technics.

Pension entitlements under this scheme are primarily matters for the Trustees, the members of the scheme and the companies participating in the scheme. An actuarial valuation is carried out by the Scheme's actuary generally every three years. The most recent completed actuarial valuation of the IAS scheme was carried out as of 31st March 2005. This showed that on an ongoing basis the actuarial valuation of the assets of the IAS was sufficient to cover the accrued liabilities under the actuarial assumptions made at that time. The IAS scheme also satisfied the statutory and funding standard at that time.

An actuarial valuation of the IAS scheme is currently being carried out and is due to be published in a number of months. I understand that the Trustees of the IAS scheme recently deferred a decision to pay a discretionary inflation related increase in pensions and that the Trustees have indicated that the position will be reviewed when the results of the 2008 actuarial valuation become available.

I have not issued policy guidelines in relation to pension fund gaps or contributions.