Written answers

Wednesday, 13 May 2020

Department of Public Expenditure and Reform

Public Sector Pensions

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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133. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the discussions that have taken place on ensuring that Garda pensioners receive increases in their pensions in line with Garda pay increases and that such pensioners are represented at talks on pay and conditions in An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4655/20]

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Firstly, I should advise the Deputy that the Department has issued a Circular on this matter, Circular 19/2019, which gives further advice on the application of the pension increase policy agreed by the Government as part of the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA) 2018-2020 (available online at: ). This policy applies for the duration of the PSSA.

Under that policy, increases granted to serving staff over the course of the PSSA are passed on to those pensions awarded under pre-existing public service schemes where the salary on which the pension is based does not exceed the salary of serving staff with the same grade and scale point, after the pay increase has been applied. If it qualifies, the pension is eligible for an increase to the extent that this will ensure alignment with the pay of serving staff.

As the Deputy may be aware, the Single Public Service Pension Scheme introduced for new entrants to the public service from 1 January 2013 onwards is a career average pension scheme which provides that both the referable amounts that are accrued by serving staff while in employment, as well as pensions in payment, are uprated in line with changes in the consumer price index.

My understanding is that the processing of increases for Garda Pensioners arising from pay rises under the PSSA is up to date at present and that no backlog exists.

As regards the representation of pensioner concerns, I can advise that my officials and I have engaged with public service pensioners in relation to public service pensions issues through meetings with the Alliance of Retired Public Servants (ARPS). Over the past few years, the interests and concerns of public service pensioners have been regularly articulated in those meetings. Through this process of engagement, I believe that public service pensioners have had, and continue to be afforded, a meaningful and direct means of articulating their concerns on pensions and related issues.

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