The Bill deals principally with the cases of certain officers of the Ordnance Survey who were discharged from their employment during the war of 1914-1918. If these officers had joined the British Army at the time, their posts in the Ordnance Survey would have been kept open for them and the period of their military service would have reckoned for superannuation purposes. When they failed to join the British Army, they were discharged from the Ordnance Survey with the pensions or gratuities to which their service entitled them. They were later reinstated in our service and certified under the Superannuation Acts, but as their service prior to discharge had already been reckoned for pension or gratuity, it could not be reckoned again for pension under our superannuation legislation.
Power is now being taken in this Bill to reckon this earlier service for pension, appropriate credit being taken for the pensions or gratuities awarded to the officers on discharge from the British Civil Service. The provisions will apply to officers who have retired before the date of the passing of the Bill as well as to those officers who are still serving. Any pensions or gratuities granted to retired officers will be reassessed with effect from the date of their retirement.
Assistants in the Ordnance Survey are required to serve 15 years in an unestablished capacity before becoming established. Half this period may be reckoned for pension. The service rendered by the victimised Ordnance Survey officers prior to discharge did not reckon towards the qualifying period for establishment. The Bill alters this position and provides that any officers who failed to secure establishment because of the exclusion of the earlier period of service will be granted superannuation benefits as if they had been established in the normal course after their first 15 years of service.
Apart from the Ordnance Survey officers, this Bill deals with the case of an officer who retired on pension from the British Civil Service as an alternative to taking the Oath of Allegiance and who was subsequently reinstated in the Irish Civil Service and certified under the Superannuation and Pensions Act, 1923. The officer is in the same position as the Ordnance Survey officers and is being provided for similarly.
When the British meterological stations in Ireland were transferred to the Government in 1937, a few established officers who were serving at Valentia Observatory were transferred to the Irish Civil Service. An undertaking was given to aggregate their service prior to transfer with their subsequent service, for pension on final retirement and provision to this end has been made in the Bill. Provision has also been made in the Bill to secure that, in appropriate cases, superannuation liability shall be regarded as part of the expenses incurred by a Minister or other State authority in rendering services to an outside body. The expenses of carrying the Bill into effect will be met by moneys to be provided by the Oireachtas.
In effect, the main purpose of the Bill is to put men who were retired forcibly in the period 1914-1918 in the same position as the men who did join the British Army and to make the period during which they were out of office count for superannuation purposes. It seems rather late at this stage to be bringing in this Bill, but these men were perhaps overlooked, or perhaps there were difficulties at the time, and it is mainly due to Deputy Cosgrave's pressure on me, since I became Minister, that the Bill is now introduced. He has raised the matter several times on Estimates and on other occasions. Two years ago, I gave a promise that I would attend to the matter. Unfortunately, I have not been able to carry out that promise until now.
