Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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447.To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he plans on reinstating the supplementary pension for members of Dublin Fire Brigade who are on the fast accrual single public service pension scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35895/24]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Single Public Service Pension Scheme is a statutory Public Service Career-Average Defined Benefit Pension Scheme, established on 1 January 2013 under the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012. Single Scheme pension benefits are integrated with the State Pension (Contributory) as members pay Class A PRSI.

All new entrants to the public service, hired after 1 January 2013, are members of the Single Scheme. Firefighters, members of the Permanent Defence Force, members of An Garda Síochána, and Prison Officers are categorised as members of the ‘Uniformed Accrual’ cohort of Single Scheme members. The uniformed grades have certain enhanced benefits that other members of the Single Scheme do not have, in recognition of their earlier retirement age, such as accelerated pension benefits accrual and early payment of scheme benefits, compared with Standard Accrual members. This enables them to accrue more Single Scheme benefits over the expected shorter public service careers in these roles.

Once members of the ‘Uniformed Accrual’ cohort reach their normal retirement age, as provided for in Section 26 of the 2012 Act, they can retire at that earlier age and receive their occupational retirement benefits accrued at a higher rate, including their retirement lump-sum and the commencement of their pension benefit payments.

Whilst 'Uniformed Accrual' members have compulsory retirement ages lower than the State Pension (Contributory) retirement age, they receive their occupational pension benefits under the Single Scheme on retirement, and they are still able to work in other employment in the intervening period, while fully accessing their occupational Single Scheme pension benefits (subject to abatement, where applicable). The Single Scheme does not provide for a ‘Supplementary Pension’ and no changes of this policy are being considered at this time.

An increased mandatory retirement age of 62 for firefighters was recently introduced by Government, following the commencement of the relevant Part 11 provisions of the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024. This legislative change facilitates an increase in the number of years over which firefighters, and other Uniformed Accrual members, can accrue pension benefits, should they choose to do so. This option is available to Uniformed Accrual members of the Single Scheme as well as those in pre-existing public service pension schemes.