asked the Minister for Finance why recipients of the Civil Service widows'ex gratia pensions who were themselves reinstated civil servants were penalised by the denial to them of the £125 per annum allowance granted to other reinstated widows whose late husbands had not been civil servants, irrespective of whether those latter widows were in receipt of pensions from other sources.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Civil Service Widows' Pensions.
28.
In accordance with an agreement reached under the conciliation and arbitration machinery for the Civil Service, the allowance referred to is abated by any pension arising from service in any area of the public sector. The purpose is to avoid duplication of occupational benefits by the State.
Is the Minister aware that the widows of civil servants are particularly badly hit in that they lose the £125 while if the Civil Service widow happened to be married to a non-civil servant, she would get the benefit of the £125 when reinstated in the Civil Service? In some cases you have people with, say, nine years service who, when this is taken into account, get higher salaries than those with 22 years service. Is the Minister aware of this?
I am aware that such a situation could arise, but the fact is that this £125 allowance is a payment by the State in respect of widowhood and the allowance is abated then in the case of a widow receiving a public sector pension so that the State will not be making an allowance in respect of the same person twice. This principle was accepted by the staff side in the negotiations when this arrangement was arrived at.
Does the Minister not agree that it is an extraordinary situation that because of the accident that a civil servant was married to a non-civil servant she has this added benefit of £125 while the Civil Service widow is penalised because she happened to marry a civil servant?
This can arise under any scheme but I would not say that it amounts to penalisation.
It amounts to penalisation to the extent of £125 so long as she remains in the service.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.
I seek permission to have written answers to Questions Nos. 79, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91 and 93.