Vol. 547 No. 1
235 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Defence if the final report on the general review of military superannuation arrangements to be undertaken in 1999 has been completed; if so, the progress which has been made with regard to Army NCOs retirement gratuity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1438/02]
Chapter 21 of the final report of the Commission on Public Service Pensions, which was published by the Minister for Finance in January 2001, specifically addressed the superannuation position of members of the Defence Forces. During the course of the commission's deliberations, interested parties had been invited to make submissions and I understand that PDFORRA was among those who did so and was also met by the commission. The commission made a series of recommendations in relation to the design of a new pension scheme for new entrants to the Defence Forces and recommended that the new scheme should be drawn up as soon as possible, with appropriate consultation involving the Defence Forces' representative associations. It also recommended that, having regard to the advantageous nature of the existing Defence Forces pensions schemes considered in the round, no fundamental modifications should be made to the pension terms of serving personnel.
The Government's response to the commission's final report was announced by the Minister for Finance on 28 September 2001. The Government decided to accept the thrust of the package of reforms recommended by the Commission and to establish the working group, comprised of the public service unions, relevant Government Departments and other appropriate parties, to advise on implementation as provided for in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. The Government also decided to establish parallel structures in the case of the Defence Forces and Garda Síochána.
I understand that a plenary meeting of the PPF working group took place on 10 January 2002 and that the process of detailed discussions to address the various issues relating to implementation of the Commission's recommendations is to formally commence on 31 January 2002. The establishment of parallel structures for the Defence Forces is being addressed in my Department and it is hoped that it will be possible to have appropriate structures put in place in the near future.
