David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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44. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she is aware of the case of a person (details supplied) regarding the Waterford Crystal Limited contributory pension scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8224/16]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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45. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she is aware of the case of a person (details supplied) regarding the Waterford Crystal Limited contributory pension scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8225/16]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 45 together.

The persons referred to are part of a group of former workers who left the service of Waterford Crystal in the early 1990s and received their full pension entitlements in relation to pre-1991 service under the schemes at that point. The payments made at that time were in full and final settlement of their entitlements under the schemes and were paid in accordance with Pension Regulations then in force.

I understand that subsequently some of these individuals took a case against Waterford Crystal Limited and Irish Pensions Trust Limited. My information is that this case was settled in December 2009 on terms that were satisfactory to both parties.

The terms of the mediated settlement in relation to the Waterford Crystal Factory and Staff Schemes are specifically in respect of a particular group of scheme members whose pension benefits were significantly and detrimentally affected by the windup of the scheme. The persons you refer to did not have any entitlement to a benefit under the pension schemes at the date of wind up in relation to their pre 1991 service. Settlement terms in relation to post 1991 service were offered to these individuals in August 2015. To date they have not accepted these terms. A dispute resolution process was set up for the event that scheme members did not agree with the dates or amounts in the settlement documents. The period of time during which the dispute resolution process could be accessed has now expired.