Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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200. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department has engaged with representatives of the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, fire brigades, or prison officers since January 2024 on the issues with the fast accrual (uniformed) single public service pension scheme for uniformed services recruited after 2013, if he will provide the dates of those engagements, if his department have taken any action as a result of these engagements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16473/25]

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 Single Scheme was established to place publicly-funded retirement benefits on a more sustainable footing in the context of longer life expectancies.

All new entrants to the public service, hired after 1 January 2013, are members of the Single Scheme.

Members of the Permanent Defence Force, firefighters, members of An Garda Síochána and Prison Officers are categorised as members of the ‘Uniformed Accrual’ cohort of Single Scheme members. As such, they accrue benefits more quickly than Standard Accrual members, who have a longer working life. 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 early payment of scheme benefits.

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 pension benefit payments.

The most significant change to the Uniform cohort has been the increase of mandatory retirement age, introduced last year. In 2024, Government enacted Part 11 of the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024. This legislative change, which allowed for an increase in the mandatory retirement age for uniformed staff to 62 years of age, for those who may choose to avail of it, was introduced following work between officials in my Department and those in relevant stakeholder Departments. This also allows uniformed members of the Single Scheme to accrue additional referable amounts towards their occupational pension, for the additional years worked.

My Department did not engage with representatives of the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, fire brigades, or prison officers on issues relating to Fast Accrual (uniformed) members of the Single Scheme.

It is a matter for the relevant Departments and sectoral management to engage with unions and associations in relation to Industrial Relations matters.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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201. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if it is the policy of his Department that those working in the uniformed services and covered by the fast accrual (uniformed) single public service pension recruited after 2013 are expected to take up a new profession after their retirement from those services in order to maintain their standard of living until State pension age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16474/25]

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 Single Scheme was established to place publicly-funded retirement benefits on a more sustainable footing in the context of longer life expectancies.

All new entrants to the public service, hired after 1 January 2013, are members of the Single Scheme.

Members of the Permanent Defence Force, firefighters, 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 early payment of scheme benefits. 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 their pension benefit payments. These benefit payments 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.

Whilst members of the Defence Forces and other Uniformed Accrual members have mandatory retirement ages lower than the State Pension (Contributory) retirement age, they are still able to work in other employment in the intervening period, while fully accessing their Single Scheme pension benefits (subject to abatement, where applicable).

In 2024, Government enacted Part 11 of the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024. This legislation allowed for an increase in the mandatory retirement age for uniformed staff to 62 years of age, for those who may choose to avail of it. This legislative change also allows uniformed members of the Single Scheme to accrue additional referable amounts towards their occupational pension, for the additional years worked. This had not been possible previously.

Government policy is, therefore, to allow Fast Accrual Single Scheme members to continue to retire from a lower Normal Retirement Age, with the provision of their full occupational pension. Members can continue working in their roles until age 62, should they decide to do so. Should individuals decide to retire from their Uniform role and they wish to consider working in other employment, they can do so with continued access to their Single Scheme occupational pension.