Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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173. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if there was legislation passed in 2004, which permits personnel employed in the public service or local authorities subsequent to the year 2004 to continue on working beyond the normal age of retirement as currently being provided for to persons currently in the public service of 65 years of age; if so, the provision of legislation under which this is permitted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39140/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I believe, the Deputy is referring to the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004. Under that Act, new entrants into the Public Service on or after 1 Jan 2004, except where otherwise provided for by that Act, are not obliged to retire on age grounds. This provision applied to new entrants until 1 January 2013, when the Single Public Service Pension Scheme (Single Scheme) was introduced for almost all new entrants recruited to the public service from that date. The Single Scheme provides a maximum retirement age of 70 for the vast majority of its members.

In August, I published the Report of the Interdepartmental Group on Fuller Working Lives which was agreed by Government. The Group, which was chaired by my Department, considered policy around retirement age in both the public and private sectors, examining implications arising from retirement ages now and in the future. The report made recommendations on a policy framework to address the issues identified and to support fuller working lives.

In accordance with one of its recommendations, my Department is currently carrying out the scoping process in relation to a review, with Public Service employers, of the current statutory and operational considerations giving rise to barriers to extended participation in the public service workforce up to and including the current and planned age of entitlement to the Contributory State Pension.