asked the Minister for Local Government whether, following his investigations into the matter undertaken since 1960, he will now amend the provisions of section 11 of the Local Government (Superannuation) Act, 1956 to permit an officer of the Defence Forces on taking up permanent pensionable appointment as an officer of a local authority to transfer his Defence Force service.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Local Government (Superannuation) Act.
12.
Amendment of the Local Government (Superannuation) Act, 1956, on the lines suggested is not at present contemplated.
I take it that the Deputy has in mind the absence of a provision in section 11 of the Act similar to that in section 34 which enables a local authority servant to reckon service with the Defence Forces. That provision, however, refers only to service in the Defence Forces of a servant who left the local authority service to join the Defence Forces and on his discharge returned to the local authority service. This applied in the case of local authority servants who joined up during the Emergency and returned to the local authority service on discharge from the Defence Forces and who but for the special provision in section 34 could not have reckoned the time they spent in the Defence Forces. Local authority officers who joined the Defence Forces in the Emergency were released on special leave which was reckonable for superannuation purposes and the necessity for a special provision in section 11 for officers did not arise.
The general issue raised by the Deputy of permitting an officer to reckon prior service with the Defence Forces in the calculation of his local authority superannuation award will be considered in conjunction with other suggested amendments, when the 1956 Act comes to be revised.