Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 141: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will consider arrangements concerning pension entitlements (details supplied). [40585/11]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Civil servants recruited before April 2004 generally have a minimum pension age of 60 years. This is a key long-standing feature of their pension scheme and I have no plans to stop pensions in payment to retired civil servants under the age of 65 years until those persons reach that age.

Civil servants recruited from April 2004 onwards generally have a minimum pension age of 65 years with no maximum retirement age.

Under the proposed single public service pension scheme, as provided for in the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme) and Remuneration Bill 2011, which is currently before the Dáil, it is planned that future entrants to the civil service and the public service generally will have a pension age of 66 years, rising to 67 and 68 years in 2021 and 2028 respectively, in tandem with increases in the State Pension age, with a maximum retirement age of 70 years.

I should point out that retirement is a significant means of reducing Public Service numbers and assisting in meeting the budgetary targets.

These prospective changes to the minimum pension age in the single scheme are part of the Government's drive to reduce the long-term cost of public service pensions, thereby putting public service pensions on a more sustainable footing.