Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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As I indicated in response to Priority PQ No 13699/18 from Deputy Calleary earlier, the Government agreed in December, that the compulsory retirement age of public servants recruited before 1 April 2004 would be increased to age 70.  This is the only group of public servants who currently have a compulsory retirement age of less than 70.  The decision arose on foot of a review of the current statutory and operational considerations giving rise to barriers to extended participation in the public service workforce carried out by my Department with public service employers, last year.

Primary legislation will be required for the changes approved by Government to be implemented.  The Government has approved the General Scheme of a Bill to give effect to its decision and I have asked the Attorney General to prioritise the drafting of this legislation so that the new compulsory retirement age will become effective as soon as possible. The drafting process is currently underway and an initial draft of the Bill is being prepared.  The Bill is on the list of priority legislation for publication in the Spring/Summer Session 2018.

It is not possible to determine the length of time it will take for a Bill to be drafted and pass through both Houses of the Oireachtas, given the need for meticulous drafting, ongoing detailed policy considerations, and the scheduling requirements of the Houses of the Oireachtas.  The Bill is, however, being treated as a priority and my intention is to bring forward the necessary legislation as soon as possible. 

In order to make some accommodation for public servants who reach the age of 65 in the period between the Government Decision on 5 December and the commencement of the necessary legislation, the Government approved some limited interim arrangements which became effective from the date of the Government Decision.  The interim arrangements allow affected public servants who reach the age of 65 in that period, to remain in employment until they reach the age of eligibility for the State Pension (Contributory), which is currently 66.  Details of these interim implementation arrangements have been put in place by the relevant sectors.