asked the Minister for Finance if he will give details of the conditions of service, salary scales and pension schemes applicable to unestablished messengers in the Civil Service.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Civil Service Messengers.
17.
The information sought by the Deputy is set out in a statement which, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to circulate with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
Conditions of Service of General Service Messengers (Unestablished)
1. Scale of Pay:
The current scale of pay is—
£18.54 × 0.50—£19.54, a week plus service pay.
Details of service pay are—
|
On completion of |
a week |
|
5 years adult service |
£0.25 |
|
10 years adult service |
£0.50 |
|
15 years adult service |
£0.75 |
|
20 years adult service |
£1.00 |
Adult service is service rendered at 18 years of age or over.
2. The hours of attendance are such as may be fixed from time to time by the Minister for Finance. At present they are fixed on the basis of a gross working week of 44 hours.
3. At the discretion of the head of the Department and subject to the exigencies of the Public Service and any Service regulation in regard to leave, annual leave will be allowed at the rate of 15 working days per annum. This leave is exclusive of the usual public holidays.
4. No sick pay is allowed during the first six months service (excluive of any periods of leave without pay). After six months continuous service and provided there is no evidence of permanent disability for service, sick leave on full pay (less appropriate deductions in respect of any disability benefits payable under the Social Welfare Acts) may be allowed up to a maximum of six weeks in any period of 12 months. After 12 months continuous service, sick pay at full rate for up to nine weeks in any period of 12 months may be allowed. The grant of sick leave, whether paid or unpaid, will be governed by any relevant regulations in force from time to time.
5. An officer may be required to wear uniform when on duty, but in the event of uniform not being supplied for any reason, he will not be eligible for any payment in lieu thereof.
6. The appointment is temporary and may be terminated at any time by one week's notice on either side and, in the event of misconduct, may be terminated without notice and without cause assigned.
7. The appointment is pensionable. (Details of the pension scheme are set out below.) The normal retiring age from the Civil Service is 65 but there is provision for retention beyond this age in certain circumstances.
Pension Scheme for Unestablished Messengers.
Membership: Applies to full time unestablished messengers serving on or after 1 January, 1970.
Payment of pension: A minimum of ten years service (five years for a Military Service Pensioner) is required to qualify for a pension and lump sum.
Pension Age: 70 years. A member who retires or is required to retire on or after 65 years of age will, however, be eligible for a pension and lump sum. In the case of Military Service Pensioners the pension age is extended to 75 years. Where a person retires on ill-health the pension age does not apply.
Amount of award.
Pension: 1/80th of pensionable pay for each year of reckonable service up to a maximum of 40/80ths. Pensionable pay means retiring pay less twice the rate of Social Welfare contributory old age or retirement pension, as appropriate, payable to a single man on the last day of reckonable service.
Lump sum: 1/30th of pay for each year of reckonable service up to a maximum of 45/30ths.
Death benefit: payable on death in service after at least five years reckonable service, is a year's pay or the appropriate retirement lump sum if greater.
In the case of lump sum and death benefit no deduction is made from pay in respect of Social Welfare benefits.
Redundancy: Pension and lump sum are awarded by reference to service reckonable on termination of employment. Payment of pension is deferred to age 65 but the lump sum is payable at the time of discharge. In addition, pension is not payable until any weekly payments under the Redundancy Payments Act have ceased.