Written answers

Thursday, 16 January 2014

Department of Social Protection

Pensions Reform

Photo of Clare DalyClare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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157. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the measures she has put in place to deal with the involvement of pensioners deferred and those in payment in negotiations on defined benefit, DB, pension changes including whether she has had any progress with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation regarding changes to access for retired workers to the State's industrial relations machinery in these instances. [1968/14]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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It is normal practice for officials in my department to engage with representatives of stakeholders in consideration of any substantial change to the Pensions Act. The consultation process which preceded the publication of the Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Act, 2013 included engagement with representatives of pensioners, the pensions industry, employers and trade unions. Written submissions were also sought from these stakeholder groups. The output from this process informed the proposals set out in the legislation.

In relation to any consideration by the trustees of a pension scheme to restructure scheme benefits under section 50 of the Pensions Act, the trustees of the scheme must comply with the provisions in the Act and with guidance issued by the Pensions Board. This guidance makes provision for the notification of all pensioners in advance of any application to the Pensions Board to restructure scheme benefits. In such circumstances a pensioner will have at least one month to make a submission to the trustees of the scheme in relation to such a proposal. The Pensions Board must be satisfied that all the provisions in the guidance are complied with before the Board will consider issuing a notice to restructure scheme benefits.

The matter of representation by pensioner and deferred member groups, in consideration of a change to scheme benefits, needs to be considered in a broader industrial relations context. I have written to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on this matter.

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