Part-time and temporary service given by teachers employed by vocational education committees is pensionable on an ongoing basis with effect from 1 September 1996.
Temporary service given by members of the administrative staff of vocational education committees is pensionable on an ongoing basis with effect from 1 January 1998. Part-time service given by such staff is pensionable on an ongoing basis with effect from 20 December 2001 under the terms of the Protection of Employees (Part-time Work) Act 2001.
With regard to caretakers and cleaners, the position is that wholetime staff have been pensionable on an ongoing basis for many years. With regard to those employed on a part-time basis, the position is that, in 1996, vocational education committees were advised in a circular letter issued by the Department of the Environment, which then had responsibility for the superannuation of VEC staff, that part-time caretakers and cleaners should be given the option of joining the pension scheme, and paying the appropriate contributions, or of retaining their existing entitlement to payment of a non-pensionable gratuity.
In view of the fact that all cleaners and caretakers are fully insured for social welfare pensions and that the occupational pension, following co-ordination with the social welfare pension as provided for in the scheme, would be very low, very few of the part-time cleaners and caretakers have opted to join the scheme.
I should add that the question of providing improved occupational pensions to public servants on low pay is one of the questions which was considered by the Commission on Public Service Pensions. The commission recommended that a new method of co-ordination with social welfare pensions be introduced. This recommendation, along with other recommendations made by the commission, has recently been considered by a joint union-management working group. It is expected that a report on the group's deliberations will shortly be made to Government. If it is decided that a new method of co-ordination should be introduced, the cleaners and caretakers who have opted to remain outside the scheme will be given a further option to join the scheme.
In relation to the person referred to specifically by the Deputy, the position is that the vocational education committee in question has no record that he was given the option of joining the scheme. I can confirm that such an option will now be afforded to him.
