Vol. 315 No. 7
asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport the reason the members of the Aer Rianta security force (details supplied) employed at Shannon Airport have not received the revised pension benefits in respect of their total emergency Army service, despite written assurance in September 1978 to the contrary, and if he is aware that four of the members (details supplied) have already died and the plight of their families highlights the injustice of this situation.
101.
asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport if those members of the security force, employed by Aer Rianta at Shannon Airport, who have qualified for improved pension entitlements by virtue of their emergency Army service, some of whom are due to retire shortly, qualify for the revised gratuity and entitlements and thereby avoid a continuation of the present unsatisfactory situation.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 101 together.
The airport security force at Shannon Airport was, until its transfer to Aer Rianta, part of my Department. A number of the members of the force had Army service and expected that the whole of this service would be made pensionable as a result of negotiations then current under the civil service conciliation and arbitration scheme. In the event, the airport security force was transferred to Aer Rianta before the negotiations on the reckonability of Army service for superannuation purposes had concluded.
On transfer to Aer Rianta the members of the airport security force joined the Irish Airlines superannuation scheme. It was agreed that in the event of full Army service being made reckonable for superannuation purposes these improvements would also apply to members of the airport security force. Following the agreement reached under the civil service conciliation and arbitration scheme Army service is now, subject to certain conditions, reckonable for superannuation purposes. The terms of this agreement are being applied in full to the members of the airport security force, and the extra costs involved must be met by my Department. The cost of such additional service is determined by the actuary to the superannuation scheme. The actuary's report has not yet been received but when it is arrangements will be made to pay the improved benefits as quickly as possible.
