Vol. 498 No. 1
355 Mr. D. Carey asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that retired teachers were granted parity with serving teachers on the matter of allowances and that this money has not been paid due to the shortage of experienced staff in the pensions office; and if he will appoint extra staff to clear the backlog. [26417/98]
I am aware that arrears of pension are due to some retired teachers in accordance with the terms of the PCW agreement and Partnership 2000. In order to calculate how much is due under Partnership 2000, it is first necessary to complete the calculation of how much is due under the PCW agreement.
The PCW agreement is a complex one and in order to cope with implementation of its provisions, including paying pension arrears, my Department has taken on additional staff, both permanent and temporary.
The pace of the work of payment has been affected by the fact that normal retirements, which reached a record level in 1997, have continued to occur at the same high level — almost 50 per cent higher than in 1996. The work has also been delayed by the amount of queries which are received on a daily basis regarding the benefits of the PCW agreement and regarding superannuation generally.
With regard to the outstanding arrears, the position is that a dedicated group of staff are working full-time with a view to making outstanding payments to retired techers before Christmas. Where it is not possible to complete the work of calculating the amounts due before Christmas, my Department will make payments on account to the retired teachers concerned.
