asked the Minister for Health the number of retired nurses in receipt of contributory old age pensions for the year ended 5 April 1980; the amount paid by the State in such pensions, the amount of income tax paid by recipients for that year; if he is aware that retired nurses have to live on small annuities from Irish Life in addition to their old age pension from which total income tax is deducted; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Retired Nurses.
132.
The information requested by the Deputy is not available. If he supplies details to me about any particular case I will be glad to have the matter examined.
The general position is that nurses employed in a permanent pensionable capacity in health boards are entitled to pensions under the local authority superannuation scheme and are not insured for contributory old age pension under the Social Welfare Acts. Equally nurses employed in a permanent pensions capacity in the voluntary hospitals are entitled to pensions under the voluntary hospitals superannuation scheme and are not insured for contributory old age pension under the Social Welfare Acts. There may be some nurses retired from other areas of the health services about which my Department would have no information. There may also be some nurses in the voluntary hospitals who did not opt to join the voluntary hospitals superannuation scheme in 1969 when it was established. Again no information is available in my Department about such cases.