Vol. 495 No. 2
145 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason health board pensioners, grade III, are precluded from receiving long service increments payable to all other grades who retired before 1 June 1996; if he will ensure that this anomaly is corrected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19717/98]
The Government decision which permitted pensioners to benefit on a parity basis from PCW restructuring pay deals provided that only increases which represented permanent additions to the pay scales were to apply to pensioners. The long service increment paid to former grade IIIs, as part of the PCW pay deal for clerical/administrative grades I to VII, is not a permanent addition to the pay scale. It is paid on a personal basis only to those who were serving grade IIIs on 1 June 1996 and those appointed between that date and 30 July 1997 when a single new grade, with the title clerical officer, replaced the former grades I, II and III. This particular PCW restructuring pay deal differs from that agreed for other grades.
