Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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1766. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 147 of 9 November 2022, the status of the engagement with Coillte with a view to increasing the pension payments for retired workers, considering that their pensions have not been increased for many years and some have had no increase since they retired; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63446/22]

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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1818. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will engage with Coillte with a view to increasing the pension payments for retired workers, given that their pensions have not been increased for many years, and that for some, pensions have not increased since they retired; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63989/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take question Nos. 1766 and 1818 together.

As the Deputies may be aware, Coillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988 and as such is operationally independent from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Any pension increases granted are at the discretion of Coillte and are subject to the approval of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Approval to an increase of 2% to pensions in payment for Coillte pensioners was sought by Coillte and has recently been granted by the relevant Ministers.

Coillte have informed my Department that this increase was paid to Coillte pensioners in December 2022.