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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 11 Dec 1947

Vol. 109 No. 6

Committee on Finance. - Vote 16—Superannuation and Retired Allowances.

I move:—

That a supplementary sum not exceeding £146,500 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending 31st March, 1948, for Pensions, Superannuation, Compensation (including Workmen's Compensation), and Additional and other Allowances and Gratuities under the Superannuation Acts, 1834 to 1947, and sundry other Statutes: Extra-Statutory Pensions, Allowances and Gratuities awarded by the Minister for Finance; fees to Medical Referees and occasional fees to Doctors; etc.

The need for the increased provision of £146,500 on this Vote arises mainly because of the adjustment of certain Civil Service pensions and lump sums authorised by the Superannuation Act, 1947, and of certain Garda pensions and gratuities which will fall to be made when the Garda Síochána (Pensions) Bill, 1947, becomes law. The additional amount shown under sub-head K (Garda Síochána) includes also provision to meet the extra charges resulting from increase in amount of new Garda pensions consequent on the improvement of the Garda salary scales.

This increase, I suppose, is to be expected, but the Minister is in justice bound to go much further than he has gone. It is true that civil servants are entitled to the increase and so are the Gardaí, but there is a large number of other persons who should come into the same category and to whom no increase has been given.

The Deputy cannot discuss them; they are not in the Estimate.

I am putting the case that we should defer the passing of this Vote until the Minister has a more comprehensive plan for superannuation and retiral allowances. The statement he has made was very bald and short, and I think that is treating the House with scant regard. The Government have apparently got it into their heads that because the Opposition is prepared to facilitate them, they can get away with anything at all at this last moment. I am not at all satisfied with this and I would like the Minister to give us more information.

We have had legislation recently dealing with the adjustment of Garda Síochána pensions arising out of the position that existed when the standstill Order was in operation. That followed on previous legislation dealing with Civil Service salaries, and this proposal regarding pensions obviously follows. Since the salaries have been increased and the standstill Order adjustment made, it is obviously necessary, and there is no avoiding the situation, that the pensions must be adjusted accordingly. Whatever may happen in regard to other questions of superannuation is a matter for the future, but this is something that will have to be dealt with now because it might happen that in this and in some of the other Supplementary Votes there would not be sufficient moneys available until the time this matter was taken up again, perhaps by the new Dáil. That would be the position if the Supplementary Estimates were not taken now.

Vote agreed to.
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