Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 215: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if a person (details supplied) in County Meath can avail of early retirement or retire on ill-health grounds, if offered, without loss of benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4210/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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The Minister for Finance introduced an Incentivised Scheme of Early Retirement (ISER) across the public sector in 2009. Circular 8/2009 from my Department outlined that the purpose of the scheme was to facilitate a permanent, structural reduction in the numbers of staff employed in line with the 2009 Employment Control Framework for the Public Health Sector. The HSE informed my Department that the health service trade unions issued a directive instructing their members not to cooperate with redeployment and reassignment requests from management. This instruction from the unions which remains in place, severely restricts the ability of management to organise/restructure work practice and contravenes the qualification criteria for the scheme. As a result, the HSE suspended the scheme in June but continued to accept applications, up to the closing date of 23 October 2009.

I understand from the employer that the individual concerned applied to retire under the ISER Scheme but that her application was refused by the employer. The employer also states that, while the individual initially appealed this decision, she then went on to withdraw her application under the Scheme. With regard to retirement on the grounds of ill health, I should like to assure the Deputy that, subject to certain conditions being met, retirement on the grounds of ill health is provided for under the superannuation scheme in her place of work. However, as of 26th January, the employer has informed me that, in the case of this individual, there is no record of an application having been made on these grounds.