Vol. 84 No. 4
I move:
That Seanad Éireann approves of the Garda Síochána Pensions Order, 1976 made on the 8th day of June, 1976, by the Minister for Justice with the sanction of the Minister for the Public Service under Section 13 of the Police Forces Amalgamation Act, 1925.
I ask the House to approve the Garda Síochána Pensions Order, 1976.
This order provides for a minor amendment in the existing Garda Síochána pensions orders in regard to the reckoning of service of members who were appointed to the force after the age of 27 and who had prior service reckonable as "approved service" for Garda pension purposes.
Under the terms of the Garda Pensions Order, 1925, members of the force are, in general, entitled to double each year of their approved service in the force after 20 years for superannuation purposes. An order made in 1950 provided that in the case of any member serving on 1st January, 1950, who was appointed to the force after the age of 27, each year of service after his 47th birthday should be doubled when calculating his pension; a similar provision for calculating the member's retirement gratuity was made in the 1951 Pensions Order. Over the years these provisions operated to the benefit of the members concerned. It has happened, however, that about 15 members who joined the force after the age of 27, who had prior service reckonable as approved service for Garda purposes and who either retired before reaching the compulsory retirement age, or died while serving would have been entitled to more favourable superannuation payments if their service after 20 years had been doubled, rather than after their 47th birthdays.
The order now before the House provides that in such cases, superannuation will be calculated on the basis of doubling service after 20 years. The order is being made effective from 1st January, 1967, so as to cover all the cases affected.
I commend the order for the approval of the House.
Ba mhaith liom a rá go n-aontaím le gach rud atá sa tairiscint seo.
I think it is only right that the Minister should bring this before the House. Seeing that only about 15 people are involved I do not think that it will receive any opposition so far as the House is concerned, apart from the fact that it is a matter of justice and giving to all people who serve in the forces their rights. The Minister mentioned something about approved service that a person might have previous to joining the Garda. I am wondering if he has in mind people who would have served in the LDF or in the Defence Forces or people such as those. Very often people have come into the Garda after the age of 27. As we know, the Garda are a very efficient force. We should not alone be fair to them but grateful for the service they have given us down through the years. Certainly we would not stand for it on any side of the House if it was felt by any member of the force that he was in any way curtailed or denied the just pensionable rights to which he would be entitled.
Aontaím leis an dtairiscint seo.
I am pleased that the order is acceptable to the House. It does, as I said in my introductory speech, remove an anomaly in respect of about 15 members who joined the force after the age of 27 and who had approved service in what was known as Taca Síochána or who had service in the civil service which is also reckonable. But, generally speaking, service in the civil service or the Defence Forces is reckonable as approved service.
