Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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194. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of and timeframe for the restoration of pensions for retired civil and public servants whose pensions are tied to serving officers pay (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9333/18]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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On 1 January 2018, public service pensions impacted by the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR) qualified for an effective increase by way of a lessening or amelioration of PSPR, as required under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2015. I understand that such increases have, in general, been implemented through pension payrolls across the various public service sectors.  

Separate from these PSPR-based adjustments, some public service pensions qualify to be increased on foot of the 1% public service pay increase which took place on 1 January 2018.

That pay increase is one of a series of basic pay increases over the period 2018-2020 set out in the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 and the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA) 2018-2020. Those pay increases, including the 1% on 1 January 2018, will apply to qualifying public service pensions insofar as that is in line with the public service pensions increase policy adopted by Government for the period to end-2020 and set out in paragraph 6.2 of the PSSA 2018-2020. The relevant pension increases will be effective from the same dates as the pay increases.

My Department issued a circular on 29 January 2018, DPER Circular 02/2018, which authorises and gives guidance in relation to the application to qualifying pensions of these pay increases, including the 1% pay increase on 1 January 2018. Any pensions which are due to be increased on foot of the January 2018 pay increase, and have not yet been adjusted, should have that increase applied shortly, including arrears due to the start of the year.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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195. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reason a person (details supplied) is on a reduced pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9507/18]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that my responsibility extends to the Civil Service Pension Scheme only. I can confirm that the individual in question was employed for two periods in the civil service: from 1959 to 1966, when she stopped working at the time of her marriage, and then from 1992, on her reinstatement to the civil service, until her retirement in 2007. Some of the latter period included short periods of job-sharing service.

As the individual refunded the marriage gratuity she had been paid, both periods of service were included in her reckonable pensionable service, which amounted to just over 21 years and four months. I have been advised that her civil service pension was calculated correctly having regard to the amount of her final pensionable remuneration and the period of service given.

If the Deputy’s concern relates instead to the individual’s social insurance pension entitlements, I would advise him to direct his enquiry to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection.