Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 6 Apr 1993

Vol. 429 No. 3

Written Answers. - Public Service Pay and Pensions Breakdown.

Pat Cox

Question:

87 Mr. Cox asked the Minister for Finance the amount set aside for pensions in respect of the public service pay and pension bill in the 1993 estimate; and if he will give a breakdown of such pensions as between the Civil Service, the wider public service and, where relevant, by name, commercial State and non-State bodies.

Minister for Finance (Mr. B. Ahern)

The Exchequer Pay and Pensions Bill covers the actual cost to the Exchequer of the pay and pensions of civil servants, the Permanent Defence Forces, gardaí and teachers and varying amounts are included for pay and pensions in grants to health boards and other health agencies, non-commercial State-sponsored bodies and third level colleges. The pay and pensions of local authority staff and staff in the commercial State-sponsored bodies are not included in the Exchequer Pay and Pensions Bill by accounting convention.

The Exchequer Pay and Pensions Bill for 1993 is £4,035 million, of which £305 million is provided for public service pensions. The net allocations from the Exchequer towards the cost of public service pensions are set out in Table 1 below:

Table 1

Sector	£m
Civil Service	80
Education Sector	73
Garda Síochána	51
Defence Forces	52
Health Sector	39
Non-Commercial State Bodies	6.5
Other areas (Mainly Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas)	3.5
Total	305

A breakdown of the specific allocations from the Exchequer towards the cost of pensions for non-commercial State-sponsored bodies is set out in Table 2 below:

Table 2

Non-commercial State-Sponsored Body	£m
An Foras Forbarthat*	0.3
Teagasc	4.1
Coillte	2.1
Total	6.5

Notes:

* For former employees of this body which has been abolished.

Apart from the above, the following pension allocations are also classified under the State-bodies heading:

— £14,000 in respect of superannuation costs of former Members of the Labour Court, and

— £20,000 for pension payments in respect of the Dublin Transportation Authority.

In relation to commercial State-sponsored bodies, their pension costs are not met by the Exchequer, and, accordingly, I do not have the information requested by the Deputy in respect of such bodies.