Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 259: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will report on the current position with regards to Labour Court ruling LCR19293 in relation to pension entitlements for FÁS community employment supervisors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34562/11]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Question 297: To ask the Minister for Social Protection when she will give a decision in regard to the timescale for implementation of the recommendation by the Labour Court in 2008 that an agreed pension scheme be introduced for community employment supervisors (details supplied) and that the scheme be adequately funded by FÁS. [34217/11]

Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 299: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if reconsideration will be given to community employment scheme supervisors and assistant supervisors who were rejected on the issue of the introduction of a pension scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34255/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 259, 297 and 299 together.

The Labour Court recommended in July 2008 that an agreed pension scheme should be introduced for community employment (CE) scheme supervisors and assistant supervisors, and that such a scheme should be adequately funded by FÁS. Notwithstanding the positions of the Department in rejecting that liability for these costs falls to be met from public funds, this matter has been the subject of discussions between the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, my Department, and the unions representing CE supervisors. In the event that funding was required from FÁS, the implementation of the claim is not considered sustainable in light of the current and ongoing fiscal environment and the requirement to contain and reduce public expenditure. The costs of the introduction of any scheme are likely to be of the order of €3m with retrospective costs of the order of at least €30m.

The Deputy should also note that FÁS is not the employer of CE supervisors and such employees are not public servants. Neither was FÁS a party to the Labour Court dispute on this matter. The responsibilities of the sponsoring organisations and the individuals concerned must also be recognised when considering pension provision arrangements.

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 260: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons here estimated to hold private pensions. [34581/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Pensions Board is a statutory body set up under the Pensions Act, 1990. The Board regulates occupational pension schemes, trust Retirement Annuity Contracts and Personal Retirement Savings Accounts in Ireland.

According to the Pensions Boards annual report for 2010, there were 76,291 occupational pension schemes with 809,961 active members as of the 31st December 2010. In addition there was 187,114 Personal Retirement Savings Accounts in force.

In accordance with the Central Statistics Office Quarterly National Household Survey on Pension Provisions (Quarter 4 2009), the rate of workers with a pension was 51%.