Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 28 Feb 1968

Vol. 64 No. 10

Houses of the Oireachtas (Members) Pensions Scheme: Motion.

Tomás Ó Maoláin

I move:

That Seanad Éireann hereby approves of the amendment of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Members) Pensions Scheme made under section 6A of the Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) Act, 1938, by:—

(1) the deletion of the existing sub-clause (4) of clause 5 of the Scheme with effect from 7 July, 1966, and

(2) the insertion of the following sub-clause in place of the deleted sub-clause (4) of clause 5:

(4) (a) Where a member of the Oireachtas is eligible for a pension under the Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Acts, 1938 to 1960, only so much of the service necessary to qualify such member for the said pension under the said Acts shall be taken into account in the calculation of the amount of pension payable under this scheme or in the calculation of the period of ten years referred to in (1) (a) of this clause, as equals in length the period of the member's service from 1 December, 1960, to the day on which he ceases to be a member of either House.

(b) This sub-clause shall be deemed to have applied to all pensions in course of payment on 7 July, 1966, with effect from that date as well as to all pensions becoming payable after that date.

Under sub-clause (4) of clause 5 of the scheme as approved by both Houses in December, 1960, no services in respect of which a Member received a pension as Minister or Parliamentary Secretary could reckon for Members' pension. On 7th July, 1966, this provision was amended to allow the reckoning for Members' pension of any service as a Minister or Parliamentary Secretary during which the Member had paid contributions into the fund. It is now proposed to amend the provision further to allow the reckoning for Members' pension of so much service qualifying for a Ministerial or Parliamentary Secretary's pension, regardless of when this service was given, as is equal to the period during which the Member paid contributions to the fund, i.e., as is equal to length of service of a Member after 1st December, 1960. It is proposed to introduce this amendment with effect from 7th July, 1966, the date of the original amendment. I may say, in brief, that the motion is intended to correct a technical hitch in the resolution of 7th July, 1966.

Mr. O'Quigley

It is not often that the Leader of the House moves a motion such as this and we must commend him for the admirable clarity of his statement. This is a motion which deals with pensions and, like all pensions legislation, one sees the hand of the draftsman who drafts all the superannuation legislation in relation to pension schemes for the Defence Forces and so on and, of course, like all other legislation relating to pensions, it is entirely unintelligible. The Leader of the House has made one thing clear — that this is really to provide for a drafting mistake or error which occurred in a previous order that was made. I have less hesitation than I normally would have in assenting to this motion, on the ground that the funds are entirely contributed by the proposed recipients. I understand there is no charge on public funds as a result of this motion. In these circumstances and because of the lucid explanation we have had from the Leader of the House, I have no hesitation in agreeing to it.

Question put and agreed to.