P. J. Sheehan
Question:52 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for Health the number of pensionable service years required for full pension purposes in respect of general practitioners and nurses in the health service. [20831/96]
Written Answers - Pension Requirements.
Limerick East): General practitioners are contracted by health boards to provide general practitioner services to medical card patients.
The contract between health boards and general practitioners for the provision of services under the General Medical Services Scheme includes a requirement that the contract agreement shall terminate when the doctor reaches 65 year of age and in certain cases at 70 years of age. Arrangements have been agreed with the Irish Medical Organisation for the deduction of superannuation contributions by the General Medical Services (Payments) Board from payments it makes to doctors under the contract agreement. These payments are then transferred to a private pension scheme fund which is administered on behalf of the doctors by a board of trustees appointed by the Irish Medical Organisation. As this is a private pension scheme, the number of years service required for full pension purposes is a matter for the administrators of the scheme.
Under the superannuation schemes applicable in the health service, the number of pensionable service years required for full pension purposes in the case of nurses is 40 years. For the purpose of calculating pensionable service in the case of health board psychiatric nurses whose names are on the register maintained under section 65 (1) of the Mental Treatment Act, 1945, as amended by the Mental Treatment Act, 1961, each year worked after 20 years' service is doubled for pension purposes, subject to total pensionable service not exceeding 40 years.