Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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472. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the engagement his Department has had with retired Aer Lingus and DAA workers over cuts to their pension scheme in 2015; his plans to address the significant reductions which they suffered as a result of the cuts to the Irish airlines superannuation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42313/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (IASS) was established in the 1950s and is a multi-employer pension scheme for employees of Aer Lingus, Dublin Airport, Shannon Airport and former SRT Technics.

The Scheme went into deficit during the recession and was closed to new members in 2009. Due to funding difficulties, the IASS was restructured by the scheme's trustees in December 2014 (following approval of the Pensions Authority) resulting in benefit reductions to members of the scheme.

In 2015, a representative group of pensioners commenced legal proceedings against Ireland and the Attorney General claiming a breach of constitutional rights arising from the enactment of the State Airports (Shannon Group) Act 2014, and a failure by Ireland to transpose or implement appropriately the provisions of the EU IORPS Directive 2003/41/EC. Judgement was made in favour of the State on 25 June 2020. The plaintiffs did not appeal the judgement.

I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has received correspondence from the Retired Aviation Staff Association (RASA) over the last number of years. RASA is a volunteer organisation whose members include retirees from Aer Lingus, daa, and the Shannon Airport Group.

The Department has corresponded with RASA several times and, in his capacity at the time as Minister of State at this Department, Minister Chambers met with their representatives on 6 March 2024. As confirmed in these engagements with RASA, the operation, management and funding of the IASS is a matter for the Trustees, and the Minister for Transport has no role in relation to the scheme.