asked the Minister for Finance if he will reduce from 50 to 40 the age at which public servants in Customs and Excise will be eligible to apply for voluntary redundancy under the scheme of voluntary redundancy for public servants.
Written Answers. - Public Service Voluntary Redundancy Scheme.
98.
All higher officers of Customs and Excise — irrespective of age — have been eligible for the voluntary redundancy scheme as there is a surplus of staff in that particular grade. In addition all staff aged 50 and over have been eligible to apply for the voluntary early retirement scheme although the Revenue Commissioners have the right to refuse any applications where it would be in the public interest to do so.
The Government have now decided that the early retirement terms which are on general offer to all personnel aged 50 and over will not apply in 1989. The voluntary redundancy scheme will continue to be available in 1989 to staff whose posts have been identified as surplus tò requirements and who would not have to be replaced.
Apart from higher officers of Customs and Excise, no other grades have been identified in the Revenue Commissioners as being surplus to requirements and consequently it is not intended to offer the voluntary redundancy terms to any other Revenue grades.