Vol. 535 No. 5
148 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Finance if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 252 of 1 May 2001, he will indicate the reason clerical officers, library assistants and rent collectors salaried, were treated differently from all other grades in the public service with regard to long service increments and pension parity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13127/01]
Pay and pensions increases for the grades mentioned by the Deputy are primarily the responsibility of the Minister for the Environment and Local Government. The pensioners in question were not treated differently from other grades in the civil and public service under pensions parity policy.
Under the terms of the original Programme for Competitiveness and Work restructuring pay agreements, the long service increments in question for these grades were personal to certain serving staff with effect from 1 June 1996. PCW restructuring agreements for other administrative grades in local authorities provided for permanent long service increments. Under pensions parity policy, personal long service increments are not passed on to pensioners because they are not a permanent part of the pay structure whereas the permanent long service increments could be passed on to pensioners.
When the long service increments in question were made permanent for serving staff with effect from 1 April 2000, they could then be passed on to pensioners under pensions parity policy in the normal way with effect from the same date. Accordingly, they were treated in the same way as pensioners who had retired from other grades in the civil and public service who did not benefit from personal long service increments under the terms of the relevant original PCW restructuring pay agreement but who may now benefit because the long service increments have been made permanent with effect from 1 April 2000.
