Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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620. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will allow persons to work up to 66 years of age (details supplied). [41881/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provided that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This began in January 2014 with the abolition of the State pension (transition) available from 65 for those who satisfied the qualifying conditions, thereby standardising State pension age for all at 66 years, which is the current State pension age. This will increase to 67 in 2021 and to 68 in 2028.

It is hoped that the majority of workers will continue to work to State pension age, and I can assure the Deputy that neither I nor my Department seek to obstruct this. In fact, abolition of the State pension (transition) removed a disincentive to longer working, as that pension required the recipient to retire from work in order to receive payment. There is no such retirement criterion for the State pension (contributory) or State pension (non-contributory), and there are significant income disregards in the means-test for the latter payment which also encourage longer working while in receipt of a State pension.

The Deputy should note that there is no legally mandated retirement age in the State, and the age at which employees retire is a matter for the contract of employment between them and their employers.

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is responsible for the terms and conditions of employment and pensions of public servants, including the age at which they may be required to retire. I am informed by that Department that the specific compulsory retirement age and minimum pension age provisions which affect individual public servants will reflect their particular employment sector and time of original recruitment.

An interdepartmental group on fuller working lives was chaired last year by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to consider policy around retirement age in both the public and private sectors and it reported in August. Any question regarding the work of that group, and the retirement age of public servants, may be addressed to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.