Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 204: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she has sanctioned top-up pension arrangements for staff under the aegis of her Department during 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35788/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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Arising from the establishment of the HSE and following an agreement with IMPACT, the Department of Finance sanctioned the application on an administrative basis of the public service superannuation "abolition of office" type terms to certain former senior health board personnel who did not obtain posts in the new HSE structure where this was recommended by an independent mediator. This arrangement was subject to certain conditions: it applied only to relevant posts at or above director function and the posts in question would be abolished with a corresponding reduction in the HSE's employment ceiling. A total of five people exited the system under this arrangement in 2009.

In addition, following a recommendation by an independent mediator, special exit arrangements were sanctioned by the Department of Finance for former health board chief executive officers who had been appointed to their posts on fixed-term contracts to reflect the fact that their posts no longer existed under the new structure. Only one individual who had a link to this group exited on this basis in 2009. The calculation of pension benefits for retired senior officers of my Department is a matter for the Department of Finance in accordance with regulations governing these arrangements. My Department has not sanctioned, or applied for sanction for, payment of any pension top-ups in relation to any officer outside the terms of these regulations.