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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 16 Jun 1998

Vol. 492 No. 4

Written Answers. - Pension Provisions.

Thomas Gildea

Question:

352 Mr. Gildea asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on whether the commitment given by him on the issue of parity between pay of serving teachers and pensioners is now being reneged upon. [14315/98]

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government announced in November that public service pensioners who retired before the commencement dates of restructuring pay deals under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work should benefit from those pay deals on a parity basis subject to a minimum adjustment of 3 per cent in their pensions (or 2 per cent in the case of those pensioners who have already received an advance payment of 1 per cent).

In accordance with the Government decision, an increase of 2 per cent in their pensions has already been paid to teachers who retired before 1 July 1994 — the earliest commencement date in the case of teachers of the PCW restructuring pay deals.

The final element of the restructuring pay deals, that concerning in-school management, has only recently been agreed. Arrangements are now being made to pay the arrears of pension and retirement gratuity to eligible pensioners who retired after 1 July 1994 and to pay the balance, if any, due to eligible pensioners who retired prior to that date. It is anticipated that this work will be completed before September 1998.

The PCW agreement provides for increases in the salary and allowances of teachers and provides for the introduction of new allowances. In accordance with long-standing practice, the benefit of the increases in salary will be reflected, on a parity basis, in the pensions of all retired teachers and the benefit of the allowances will be reflected, on a parity basis, in the pensions of teachers who held those allowances during service. The position is, therefore, that any teacher who receives, or has received, an increase in pay arising from an allowance will also receive the benefit of that allowance in his or her pension, on a full parity basis.

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