Vol. 514 No. 1
245 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Science if the case of a person (details supplied) who has applied to buy back five years for superannuation purposes under the recent buy back scheme will be examined; and the reason years in teaching are being treated less favourably than other work experience in the context of the buy back scheme. [3747/00]
The person to whom the Deputy refers is seeking to purchase service which was given in this State as an unqualified teacher and service which was given in Northern Ireland.
None of this service comes within the terms of the purchase scheme which has recently been introduced. This scheme enables a teacher to purchase, for pensions purposes, service which was given in this State as a fully qualified teacher.
Service given in other areas of the public sector may, in accordance with the public sector transfer scheme, be reckoned as pensionable under the teachers' superannuation schemes. The transfer scheme enables service given in any participating organisation, and which was pensionable in its own right when given, to be transferred to the teachers' superannuation schemes.
While there are no arrangements at present for the transfer for pensions purposes of service given in Northern Ireland, this question is currently being considered in the context of North-South co-operation.
