Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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221. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the details of the procedure to be followed by a school and the board of management to facilitate the continued employment of a person past their 70th birthday (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24944/25]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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233. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide details of the procedure to be followed by a school and the board of management to facilitate the continued employment of a person past their 70th birthday (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25062/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 221 and 233 together.

Compulsory retirement in the public service is generally determined by the date of recruitment of the individual public servant and, for the most part, is provided for in primary legislation.

The Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004 introduced new superannuation and retirement provisions for new entrants to the public service, appointed on or after 1 April 2004. New entrants recruited or employed after 1 April 2004 (and up to 31 December 2012) have no mandatory retirement age.

Public servants recruited since 1 January 2013 have a mandatory retirement age of 70. In setting this mandatory retirement age, consideration was given to the benefits of having a specific age limit and a retirement horizon. A defined retirement age is important for planning recruitment and promotion throughout the public service.

Further to this, the Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Act 2018 was enacted on 26 December 2018. Under this Act, any relevant public servant (recruited prior to 1 April 2004) who had not already reached their compulsory retirement age of 65 before that date has a new compulsory retirement age of 70. This is the same mandatory retirement age as is applicable to members of the Single Scheme.

Where a compulsory retirement age exists for pension scheme members, they are not precluded from returning to work in a non-pensionable capacity after their compulsory retirement date. The recruitment of staff in schools is a matter for the board of management.

I understand officials in the Pension Unit of my department have been in contact with the person concerned regarding her retirement benefits.