Vol. 475 No. 4
190 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Education if teachers will be allowed to purchase pensionable service at favourable rates for time spent teaching in Irish missionary schools in Africa; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5391/97]
191 Mr. N. Treacy asked the Minister for Education the reason a group of Irish citizens (details supplied) are being discriminated against by her Department; if she will ensure that equity prevails for such people along with their professional colleagues; the date on which sanction will be given for these applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5471/97]
208 Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education whether teachers who worked for Irish missionary societies abroad in the 1960s will be allowed to purchase a pensionable service at the special rates of 5 per cent and 6.5 per cent which are to be established to facilitate those who were teaching in Ireland at that time and who had not joined the pension scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4985/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 190, 191 and 208 together.
The revised proposals for agreement on the pay and conditions of teachers under clause 2 (iii) of annex 1 of the Programme for Competitiveness and Work include a proposal for the purchase for superannuation purposes of incremental service given by teachers when they were eligible to join the secondary teachers' superannuation scheme but did not do so. The proposal provides for the purchase of such service at the normal contribution rate of 6½ per cent (5 per cent for teachers who are not members of the spouses' scheme).
The proposal is confined to actual incremental service given in schools and would not apply to the purchase for superannuation purposes of any other service.
192 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Education if the correct rate of pension is being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick who is married with four children under the age of 18 years. [4835/97]
The person in question is in receipt of the correct pension from my Department under the current superannuation provisions.
