I move:—
That the National School Teachers' Superannuation (Amendment) Scheme, 1954, made by the Minister for Education, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, be confirmed.
National School Teachers' Superannuation (Amendment) Scheme, 1954—Motion.
Senators are aware, of course, that there is a payment made on retirement to primary teachers and in view of the present shortage of teachers it has been considered wise to continue for a year a number of teachers due for retirement and that makes a certain difficulty in regard to the payment of the retirement sum because we feel in the Department that it would be unfair to continue teachers in office for a further year and at the same time hold over the retirement sum due to them on retirement.
Under the 1950 superannuation scheme the lump sum is not payable until the teacher has retired on pension and paragraph 4 (1) of this amending scheme enables payment of the lump sum to be made before the actual retirement. We propose to make it as soon as possible after the last day of the quarter in which the teacher reaches the age of 65.
There is another paragraph—paragraph 4 (2) of the scheme which provides that where a teacher receives a lump sum before retirement no further lump sum will be payable to him on retirement. The effect of this paragraph is also to ensure that if a teacher dies in the service after having received a lump sum, a death gratuity will not be payable if, as normally happens, the lump sum and the death gratuity are of the same amount. If, however, the lump sum should be less than the death gratuity the difference will be payable.
We are not retaining all the teachers retiring at 65. We are retaining a number of those who are in good health and whose teaching capacity has been proven. The numbers of principal and assistant teachers who were retained beyond 65 and the numbers who retired at 65 on 1st October, 1953, and 1st January, 1954, are as follows:—teachers (men) retained, 1st October, 1953, eight; 1st January, 1954, 15; women, 21 and 23 respectively. That is a total of 29 and 38 men and women. Six men and eight women have actually retired.
I think it is a very reasonable proposal to make to the Seanad and the decision to make the payment, if we get agreement, is in the interests of the people concerned.
I entirely agree that this is a reasonable proposal. I think it is actually the practice in the Civil Service that a person who reaches the age of 65 but who is retained in the service for another year is at once paid his retirement gratuity. If, as the Minister says with regard to the other paragraph, in the final year he dies and the gratuity has been paid his dependents do not get both if the person has got the retirement allowance.
I think this is a very sound provision. I take it that provision for the payment of the gratuity on retirement was not foreseen when the provision was made in 1950 by the Minister's predecessor. I know a number of people are retained—some of them not very willingly. I understand that provision is being made to increase the number of teachers because there is a very serious need in primary schools for more trained teachers. As far as this particular superannuation provision goes, I think it is eminently reasonable and should be agreed to.
Question put and agreed to.