Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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155. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018; the indicative timeline for its progression; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37374/18]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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On 5 December 2017, the Government decided to increase the compulsory retirement age to 70, for most public servants recruited prior to 1 April 2004. The majority of these public servants currently have a compulsory retirement age of 65.

Primary legislation is required for the new compulsory retirement age to be implemented and to that end, a Bill entitled the Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Bill 2018, was published on Monday 9 July and passed all stages in the Seanad on Tuesday 17 July. The Bill is being treated as a priority and the intention is to secure enactment of the legislation as early as possible in the current term.

The main provisions of the Bill are that:

- The vast majority of public servants recruited prior to 1 April 2004 will have a new compulsory retirement age of 70;

- Those public servants will continue to accrue retirement benefits up to the new compulsory retirement age of 70, subject to a maximum of 40 years' service;

- The "uniformed pension fast accrual" group, i.e. Gardaí, Firefighters, Prison Officers and the members of the Permanent Defence Force, will be unaffected by these changes.

The new compulsory retirement age will not come into effect until the legislation is commenced. In order to make some accommodation for public servants who reach the age of 65 in the period between the Government Decision of 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 (which have to respect the current statutory position of the compulsory retirement age of 65), through retire and re-hire, enable pre 2004 public servants who reach the age of 65 to remain in employment only until they reach the age of eligibility for the State Pension (Contributory), which is currently 66.