Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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423. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that single teachers appointed since 2004 are required to make mandatory 1.5% pension contributions to the spouses’ and children’s pension scheme despite being ineligible for benefits under that scheme; if she considers this requirement to be equitable; and if she will engage with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitisation to examine possible reform or refund mechanisms for single teachers. [57242/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Revised Spouse & Children's (S&C) schemes were introduced in the public service from 1984 onwards and replaced the original schemes for all new entrants on or after their operative date(s). The Revised Scheme relevant to the education sector was introduced following recommendations of the Commission on Public Service Pensions 2000 and implemented via Department of Education Circular PEN14/05.

Membership of the revised scheme is compulsory for new entrants from 1 September 2005, and like the original S&C scheme, contributions are set at 1.5%, and there are no exemptions available based on marital or family status. In certain circumstances where a member has in excess of 40 years' service, they are entitled to a refund in respect of the excess period only, starting with the initial contributions paid.

The Revised S&C Schemes prevailing across the public service, were introduced in agreement with staff interests, extended the benefits payable to include post-retirement marriages and also extended the children's benefit to include a broader category of eligible children, including adoptive, post-retirement/resignation and non-marital children of the member.

S&C schemes operate on a similar basis to any group insurance scheme, whereby each member pays a contribution to ensure coverage, but not every member will receive a benefit from their scheme. The nature of the schemes is such that they provide for contingent benefits to each member. S&C Scheme benefits only become payable in the event of the member’s death; if a married member is pre-deceased by their spouse/civil partner, no spousal benefit is payable. Children’s benefits are only payable where the child is under 16 years of age or under age 22 and in full-time education or where the child is dependent (due for example a disability), and the disability occurred before the child reached age 16 or 22.

The Revised S& C Schemes do not provide for refunds of contributions to single members without dependents at retirement. This reflects the scheme’s structure as a collective risk-pooling arrangement, where contributions partially fund benefits for eligible survivors across the membership base. Furthermore, it is not possible to determine that a person will never benefit from the Revised S&C schemes as the schemes provides for marriage/civil partnership after retirement and or children outside of marriage, stepchildren of marriages after retirement, children adopted after marriage etc.

While the scheme does not differentiate contribution rates based on marital or parental status, it is acknowledged that some members may not ultimately benefit from the survivor provisions. However, this does not constitute unlawful discrimination under current pension legislation, as the scheme applies uniformly and is based on actuarial principles common to defined benefit arrangements. Public service S&C Schemes are not in contravention of equality legislation, and any refund mechanism, other than those permitted under the scheme rules, is not possible.

Officials in the Pension Unit of my Department have engaged with colleagues in Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitisation, and I understand there are no plans to review these arrangements.