As Senators will have observed from its long title, this Bill is intended "to provide for superannuation allowances for the permanent staff of An Bord Iascaigh Mhara".
The Sea Fisheries Act of 1952 established the board as the successor of the Irish Sea Fisheries Association, Limited, which had been incorporated in 1930 as a friendly society under the Industrial and Provident Societies Acts with the object of developing the national sea fisheries, and the employees of the former association became members of the staff of the board subject to the same conditions of service.
The introduction of a pension scheme had already been put in hands by the former association which shortly before its dissolution had commissioned an actuary to prepare a scheme. As a friendly society, the association regarded itself as being in a position under its rules to do this. The actuary's report was not received until after the board had replaced the association by virtue of the 1952 Act and it was then ascertained that the board, unlike the association, required statutory authority to enable it to introduce a pensions scheme.
Since the provisions of this Bill are brief and, I understand, follow generally the lines of previous measures authorising the grant of superannuation allowances to the employees of statutory bodies, little by way of explanation or comment is called for. The only point to which I draw special attention is the provision in sub-section (2) of Section 2 that an approved scheme under the section shall be deemed to have come into operation on the 1st day of July, 1953, and shall be carried out by the board in accordance with its terms. The reason for this unusual retrospective provision is that the board, shortly after its establishment, on receiving the actuary's report already mentioned put the scheme recommended by him to the staff who accepted it and urged that it be adopted. As the scheme was in general in the customary form for the staffs of similar bodies, and the proposal to introduce a scheme had already been supported by the Fishery Authority, the board proceeded to deduct pensions contributions subject to the consent of the appropriate Ministers yet to be obtained. It is therefore reasonable to provide that the scheme when finally approved shall have effect as from the 1st July, 1953, the date from which pension contributions have thus been deducted in anticipation.
In conclusion I should like to say that negotiations are well advanced towards the settlement of a scheme and I should hope to have a scheme ready for implementation in a short time after the Bill becomes law.
