Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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186. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the criteria used in assessing eligibility for ill health early retirement in the case of a teacher employed by her Department; the person or body that makes this decision (details supplied); the level at which the decision is made; the person or body that is consulted in relation to same; the precedents for this benefit being awarded; the number of cases in the past year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66722/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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My department administers pension schemes, which are provided for in legislation, for teaching staff in primary, secondary and community and comprehensive schools.

One such provision of these pension schemes is the awarding of benefits under ill health retirement.

The granting of a pension and lump sum on retirement on grounds of permanent ill-health is not automatic. There is a robust medical process involving an assessment of the medical condition and its likely permanency. An applicant must apply to the Department and separately, in consultation with his/her medical advisers, submit medical evidence on the condition, treatment and prognosis, to the Occupational Health Service (Medmark) in support of the application.

The OHS conducts an independent expert medical assessment. Applications for ill-health retirement are assessed on an individual basis and not determined by precedent. Each case is considered on its own merits, taking into account the applicant’s medical condition, prognosis, and supporting documentation. The OHS provides a recommendation based on comprehensive medical evidence, and the final decision is made by the Minister based on this recommendation.

Further information on the ill health retirement procedures for teachers can be found - Retirement on Medical Grounds - Teachers and non-teaching staff www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/services/retirement-on-medical-grounds-teachers-and-non-teaching-staff/.

Following an assessment of the medial evidence, which may include a consultation with the applicant, a decision is then communicated by the Department to the applicant. Where a teacher is in receipt of ill-health retirement pension benefit, s/he may not subsequently engage in teaching in any school or college funded directly or indirectly by the State.

My Department does not have the ill health retirement statistics available for 2025 at this time. However, for 2024, 25 teachers at primary sector retired on medical grounds and 28 from the Secondary/C&C sector.

The stats can also be found on this link Retirement Stats - First Page