Vol. 577 No. 3
225 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Finance the discussions which are taking place regarding the possibility of authorising retroactive participation in the contributory pension scheme for the surviving spouses and orphans of civil servants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31230/03]
The Commission on Public Service Pensions gave detailed consideration to the issue of offering further options to serving staff to join spouses and children's schemes. The commission decided against recommending a further general option to join spouses and children's schemes across the public service.
The only exception in this regard related to certain teachers. The commission noted that an option to join the revised spouses and children's scheme had not been afforded to national and secondary teachers who were in service in 1984 and recommended that such an option should now be offered to national and secondary teachers in the original schemes. As I indicated in the budget of 2004, I will be proposing certain changes to the pension terms and conditions of serving staff along the lines recommended by the commission and, in this context, I will give consideration to the foregoing.
Question No. 226 answered with Question No. 209.
