Vol. 246 No. 3
I move amendment No. 1:
In page 2, lines 22 and 23, to delete "but excluding the first two years of such service."
The Minister understands the purpose of this amendment. He has put down an amendment to put in a new section which partly meets my objections to the Bill.
That is the purpose.
I can see no reason why the full service of people should not be reckoned. The Minister's brief says they were on probation during their first two years. I do not know whether this is an adequate reason for not allowing the first two years and, therefore, I put down this amendment. The employees must have had continuous service before they get into the manual workers pension fund. The ordinary clerical worker is on probation for two years also but there is the difference that on his appointment he gets a document whereas the man who is paid on a weekly basis does not get a similar document.
I have looked into the matter and I accept the Deputy's amendment.
Amendment No. 2, in the name of Deputy O'Donovan, and ministerial amendment No. 3 might be taken together as both are related.
I move amendment No. 2:
In page 2, line 36, to delete "one half, but no more, of".
The Minister has met my point and he has put the manual workers on equal footing with the other workers, as I understand it. Therefore, I am prepared to withdraw my amendment.
I move amendment No. 3:
In page 2, before section 4, to insert the following section:
The Board may, if they so think fit, grant and pay to a person—
(a) to whom subsection (8) (inserted by this Act) of section 7 of the Act of 1942 applies,
(b) who pays to the Board a contribution equal to 1 per cent of the remuneration paid to him by the Board during the three years immediately before his retirement from the employment of the Board, and
(c) who is in receipt of a pension under the manual workers superannuation scheme (within the meaning of the Act of 1942),
a supplementary allowance for his life the annual amount of which together with the annual amount of the pension aforesaid is equal to—
(i) one half of the annual rate of the remuneration paid to the person by the Board immediately before his retirement from the employment of the Board, or
(ii) the annual amount of the pension which would have been payable to the person aforesaid if the whole of his continuous service in the employment of the Board had been reckoned therefor,
whichever is the less.
I move amendment No. 4:
In page 3 to delete subsection (1) (c).
In view of the way the Minister has met me I shall not press this amendment. We both understand what is involved in this subsection. The Minister's amendment puts both sides of the staff of the ESB on an equal footing. Therefore, I shall withdraw my amendment.
