Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 91: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will respond to a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43739/09]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The position of women who resigned from the civil service on marriage as regards civil service pension entitlements is as follows. A woman appointed to the civil service from a competition advertised prior to 1 February 1974 who had at least 5 years' actual reckonable service prior to marriage, and who resigned from the civil service on or shortly before marriage, or within 2 years after the date of marriage, was paid a marriage gratuity which, if applied for and awarded, was in lieu of any other civil service superannuation benefit. The amount of the gratuity was 1 month's pay for each year of actual reckonable service (pro-rata for part of a year) up to the date of marriage, subject to a maximum of 12 months' pay.

A woman who received a marriage gratuity who was subsequently reappointed to the civil service in an established capacity could refund the gratuity, in which case all prior service would be aggregated with subsequent service for superannuation purposes. Any social welfare pension entitlements of the women concerned are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Social and Family Affairs.