John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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184. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he plans to address the retention challenges in the fire services, specifically as they relate to pension reforms; if he is considering reinstating the supplementary pension scheme or providing alternatives to support the financial wellbeing of those in uniformed services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6897/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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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.

The provisions of the Single Scheme are clearly set out in law and were enacted on 28 July 2012. All new-entrant public servants hired after 1 January 2013 are members of the Single Scheme. The introduction of the Single Scheme is the biggest change to public pensions since the formation of the State, and has been instrumental in ensuring the sustainability of the Public Service pension bill for decades to come, particularly in the context of rising public service employee numbers.

It should be noted that while career-averaging pension schemes are common across the public and private sectors, Defined Benefit schemes are no longer commonly available in the private sector, where Defined Contribution schemes are more common. It is generally agreed that Defined Benefit schemes are more beneficial for the employee, due to the fixed nature of benefits, which is an attractive feature of the Single Scheme.

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. 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.

Staff retention issues within individual public sector organisations are generally a matter for the employing organisation. My Department does not have any evidence, at this time, to indicate that the Single Scheme is contributing to staff retention issues across the public sector.

An increased mandatory retirement age of 62 for firefighters was introduced 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. 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 Schemey, as well as those in pre-existing public service pension schemes.