Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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38. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will refuse to sign the ministerial orders enabling IAS scheme trustees to amend the scheme, as required under the State Airport (Shannon Group) Act 2014, until he is satisfied that the deferred pensioners' entitlements are not being disproportionately reduced. [36637/14]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Resolution of the funding difficulties of the IASS is primarily a matter for the Trustee, the companies participating in the scheme, the scheme’s members and the Pensions Authority. The process currently underway involves all of these stakeholders including the deferred members.  

It has been clear for a long time that any solution to the complex problems of the IASS requires significant contributions from both employers and members of the scheme. Earlier this year an Expert Panel was established by my Department, along with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, IBEC and ICTU. The Expert Panel was tasked with finding the fairest way to distribute the burden, while addressing a range of other impediments. The Report of the Panel built on the 2013 Labour Court recommendations and the summary of a draft funding proposal put forward by the Trustee in February this year.

The IASS Trustee and the principal employers have recently issued documents in respect of the proposed changes in pension arrangements.  These communications mark the commencement of the formal consultation process which the Trustee is required by the Pensions Act 1990 to undertake in respect of the reductions in benefits that it is proposing.  Each member will also shortly receive a personalised illustration of future pension benefits.  All members have been invited to send their views on the proposals to the IASS Trustee by 27 October 2014.  The target date for implementation of the proposals remains 31 December 2014.

Huge efforts have been put in by all concerned over many years in an attempt to resolve the scheme's funding problems.  A set of clear proposals has now been put forward which offer the best chance to resolve the long-standing problems of the scheme and resolve members’ uncertainties about their future pension entitlements.  I would urge all parties to accept them.

On the basis that the trustee decides to proceed with changes to the IAS scheme following the consultation process which is underway, I will sign the Ministerial Orders enabling the IAS scheme trustees to amend the scheme.