Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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170. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the estimated cost increasing Vote 35 to allow for occupational supplementary pension to be provided to members of the Defence Forces on reaching normal retirement age. [49560/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The specific pension scheme terms that apply to the Permanent Defence Forces (PDF) personnel depend primarily on the date a person joins the PDF and on whether that person is joining the Public Service for the first time.

In line with most public service pension schemes, the PDF pension schemes applicable to those who joined prior to January 2013 made provision for the award of an occupational supplementary pension, subject to meeting certain eligibility criteria.

I take it, therefore, that the Deputy is referring to the absence of the concept of supplementary pensions from the provisions of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme (Single Scheme).

The occupational pension scheme terms of post-1 January 2013 new entrants to the public service, including the PDF, are governed by the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012. All first-time new entrants to pensionable public service employment on, or after, that date are members of the Single Scheme.

The Single Scheme was a key structural fiscal reform introduced to help significantly reduce the cost of public service pensions in the long term, while at the same time continuing to provide valuable pension benefits for employees.

The terms and rules of the Single Scheme, which are fundamentally different to previous public service superannuation arrangements, make no provision for the concept or award of supplementary pensions for any new entrants joining any public service group from 1st January 2013 onwards.

As there is no provision for supplementary pensions in the Single Scheme, for example, in terms of its scope, qualifying criteria, methodology etc., there is no basis upon which to calculate the estimated cost of increasing Vote 35 to allow for such pensions.

Under the 2012 Act, overall statutory responsibility for the Single Scheme pension terms and rules rests with the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.