Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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582. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department can extend the deadline for the voluntary redundancy scheme for local authorities' water staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11534/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Framework for Future Delivery of Water Services (June 2022) was agreed following a comprehensive process of engagement with unions under the aegis of the Workplace Relations Commission and enables the integration of public water services into Uisce Éireann's organisational structure, as envisaged in the Government’s Policy Paper on Water Sector Transformation (February, 2021).

The Framework provided that a voluntary redundancy scheme would be made available to local authority water services staff who are under preserved pension age at 30 June 2024 and who have already accrued entitlement to preserved superannuation benefits under a local government scheme (2 years’ service) on that date. The Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform subsequently provided sanction to my Department to proceed with the Scheme on the basis set out in the Framework.

A circular issued to local authorities on 1 February 2024 announcing the commencement of the Scheme with a closing date of 30 June 2024. It is not possible to extend the closing date as this would be contrary to the Framework agreed with the other parties as well as the sanction provided by the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. It could also have the effect of excluding from the Scheme any local authority water services workers who reach preserved pension age in the period following 30 June 2024 and any extended closing date.