Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 761: To ask the Minister for Defence the reason the Air Corps service of a soldier (details supplied) in Dublin 5 who ended their service in October 1970 is not eligible for transfer to the Aer Lingus superannuation scheme; the pension provision that exists for those with pre 1970 service; and his views on amending the rules of pension eligibility to approve the transfer of Army service to link with the Aer Lingus pension. [28818/08]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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Both Aer Lingus and the Defence Forces are members of the Public Service Transfer Network, which provides for the reckoning by each participating organisation of earlier pensionable service with any other member of the Transfer Network. Participation in the Transfer Network is voluntary and Aer Lingus decided to become a member of the Network with effect from 1 June 1973. As a result, the Company is obliged to reckon all prior pensionable service in the case of its employees who left other member organisations on or after that date and subsequently joined Aer Lingus. As a member of the Network, it was also open to Aer Lingus to reckon prior service in the case of its employees who left other member organisations before 1 June 1973. In the event, Aer Lingus decided to reckon such service only in respect of former members of the Permanent Defence Force who had service during the Emergency Period (1939-1946) or during the period 9 September 1968 to 31 May 1973. The significance of the earlier date mentioned is that Aer Lingus was approved on 9 September 1968 as a designated organisation for the purposes of the Superannuation and Pensions Act 1963 — which was the forerunner of the present Transfer Network.

While the part-time service in the Reserve Defence Force (RDF) of the person in question did not end until October 1970, his full-time pensionable service in the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) had ended in October 1967 on his transfer to the RDF. Service in the PDF is full-time and pensionable whereas service in the RDF is generally non-pensionable. Consequently, neither his pre-September 1968 period of service in the PDF nor his post-1967 service in the RDF is transferable to Aer Lingus. The Company is, however, willing to accept for pension purposes a period of full-time service in aid of the civil power rendered by the person in August/September 1969 as a member of the RDF.

The question of amending the rules governing the transfer of service for pension purposes is a matter for the Minister for Finance to whom, I understand, a separate Question has been put down.