Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 91: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will respond to a query from a person (details supplied) in Dublin 20 on the pension levy as it affects research staff in universities here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12689/09]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The position is that public servants are in general liable to pay the pension-related deduction introduced in the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009.

University research staff are liable to pay the deduction because they meet the key qualifying conditions under the Act, which is to say that they are public servants and are members of a public service pension scheme.

I am aware that some university research staff hold fixed-term or non-permanent posts, and may on that basis have concerns about their job security. Certain concerns in relation to the pay rates of such staff have also been articulated. However none of these facts or concerns bear on the liability of the staff in question to pay the deduction. In this regard it is worth noting that fixed-term and non-permanent workers across many areas of the public service are paying the deduction.

In this general connection, the Government has moved to make fixed-term university researchers pensionable, and has thus significantly improved the attractiveness of a research career. It should also be noted that, even for relatively short periods in such posts, pensionable service is accrued.

It may also be transferred in the future to any public service employment. If the service is not transferred, section 6 of the Act provides for a refund of the deduction in certain limited circumstances, essentially in those cases where, on leaving employment, the pension scheme member has not accrued sufficient service to build up a benefit in any public service pension scheme.