asked the Minister for the Public Service if he is aware of the serious anomaly which exists in State employment in relation to the reckoning of service for pension purposes whereby industrial civil servants or unestablished civil servants are not allowed any service in respect of absences from work on sick leave prior to 1st June, 1967, while established civil servants can reckon for pension purposes extended periods of sick leave prior to 1st June, 1967; and if he will indicate the measures proposed to be taken to introduce effective equality in the matter of qualification for pension purposes.
Written Answers. - Pension Qualification.
73.
I am not aware of any serious anomaly which exists in State employment in relation to the reckoning of service for pension purposes. It is a cardinal principle of superannuation, applicable to industrial and established civil servants, and, indeed, to the public service as a whole, that unpaid service, including sick-leave without pay, does not reckon for pension purposes. The conditions of employment of industrial civil servants were significantly improved by the grant to them as from 1st June, 1967, of paid sick leave and this carried with it the additional benefit of such absences becoming reckonable for the purposes of the non-established pension scheme. The principle of confining pensionability to paid service applies equally to both categories of civil servants and the question of measures to introduce effective equality does not therefore arise.
74.
asked the Minister for the Public Service if he will furnish details of the sick pay schemes now in operation in State Departments for established civil servants and industrial civil servants; and the date on which these schemes became operative for pension purposes.
The information requested by the Deputy is set out in a tabular statement which, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to circulate with the Official Report.
Following is the Statement:
|
Category of Employee |
Qualifying period of service for sick pay |
Rates and duration of sick pay |
|
Established civil servant |
— |
Full pay during properly certified sick absences, provided there is no evidence of permanent disability for service, may be allowed at the discretion of the head of the Department and subject to any service regulations in regard to leave, up to a maximum of six months in one year and half pay thereafter subject to a maximum of 12 months' sick leave in any period of four years or less. Any officer whose period of service would enable him to qualify for a pension in the event of his retirement on grounds of ill-health may, when his normal sick pay entitlement is exhausted, be granted sick leave at pension rate of pay. |
|
(Special pay arrangements are allowed once only to any officer suffering from tuberculosis: maximum of six months with full pay followed by six months on ¾ pay and by six on months on½ pay). |
||
|
State industrial employee in full-time direct employment |
three months' continuous service (or 17 weeks'aggregate service) |
Full pay for up to six weeks in any period of 12 months' service. |
|
six months' continuous service (or 34 weeks' aggregate service) |
Full pay for up to nine weeks in any period of 12 months' service. |
|
|
12 months' continuous service (or 68 weeks'aggregate service) |
Full pay for up to 13 weeks in any period of 12 months' service. |
Note: The amounts of sick pay specified are, where appropriate, subject to deduction of any social welfare benefit, including pay-related benefit.
Date on which schemes became operative for pension purposes:
The general sick leave arrangements for established civil servants have been in operation since before the inception of the State. A sick leave scheme for industrial employees was introduced with effect from 1st June, 1967. Except for periods on sick pay at pension rate, all sick leave with pay has always reckoned for pension purposes where an officer was pensionable.