Written answers

Wednesday, 22 January 2025

Department of Public Expenditure and Reform

An Garda Síochána

Photo of James LawlessJames Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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380. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will examine the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46859/24]

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Single Public Service Pension Scheme was introduced in 2013 to place publicly-funded retirement benefits on a more sustainable footing. The Single Scheme is the default public service pension scheme for all new entrant public servants since 1 January 2013.

While all public servants recruited after 2013 are enrolled in the Single Scheme, uniformed staff such as firefighters, members of An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces, have certain enhanced benefits that other members of the Single Scheme do not have, in recognition of their earlier retirement age, such as additional early payment of scheme benefits. This enables them to accrue more Single Scheme benefits over the expected shorter public service careers in these roles. When uniformed staff reach their normal retirement age, 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.

In the period between a uniformed member's retirement and the State pension age of 66, they receive benefits under the Single Scheme. These benefits are separate, and in addition, to any future entitlement that they may have to the State Pension (Contributory) administered by the Department of Social Protection.

A Supplementary Pension has never been a feature of the Single Scheme, nor was it ever envisaged that it would be. It is not intended that the Single Scheme would be amended to provide a Supplementary Pension to uniformed staff.

An increased mandatory retirement age of 62 for Gardaí was introduced by Government in September 2024 via the Garda Síochána (Retirement) Regulations 2024. This followed 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 Gardaí, and other Uniformed Accrual members, can accrue pension benefits, should they choose to do so. Individuals can continue to retire at age 55 or at any age up to 62 and avail of their lump sum and the commencement of their pension payment. This option is available to Uniformed Accrual members of the Single Scheme as well as those in pre-existing public service pension schemes.

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