Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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469. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in the context of the Energy (Miscellaneous) Provisions Act 1995, No. 35 of 1995, if he is aware that the Electricity Supply Board has failed to comply with its statutory obligations outlined under said Act, which in essence makes its defined benefit pension a typical balance-of-cost scheme and requires the Electricity Supply Board to be solely responsible for any deficit that may arise from time to time in said fund; if he is aware that said legislation was put in place in order to underpin that the guarantee in respect of the pension was part of a tripartite agreement concluded in 1996 between the then Government, the Electricity Supply Board management and the Electricity Supply Board group of trade unions; if he will take steps to ensure that same is honoured in full, particularly in the context of pensioners and deferred pensioners, who appear to be bearing the brunt of all losses visited upon them in respect of their pensions, by way of legislative interventions or otherwise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16839/15]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The ESB defined benefit scheme is a contributory pension scheme through which pensions for the majority of employees in the electricity business are funded. The fund is vested in trustees nominated by ESB and its members for the sole benefit of employees and their dependents. The scheme is a defined benefit scheme and is registered as such with the Pensions Authority (formerly the Pensions Board).

My Department has been advised by the ESB that it rejects claims that it has failed to comply with any obligations in respect of the scheme under the Energy (Miscellaneous) Provisions Act 1995 (No. 35 of 1995) or otherwise. The Department has been further advised by ESB that it has honoured, and continues to honour, the terms of the 1996 Cost and Competitiveness Review tripartite agreement referred to by the Deputy. The administration of the scheme is a matter for the scheme trustees.