I have been informed that the Severance Programme in AIB commenced in June 2012 and involved the preparation of briefing packs for all staff considering early retirement or voluntary severance. In respect of Early Retirement, AIB Staff Pensions Department prepare individual figures for staff in advance of them accepting an offer from the Bank. This information is provided directly to individual staff members and does not involve seminars. I have been informed by AIB that a separate, long-standing process exists where staff who are retiring at normal retirement date or earlier may attend a Retirement Seminar around the time of their departure from AIB. This is provided by many companies in the public and private sector to retiring staff and is considered good practice to help staff adjust to retirement. This service has been provided by AIB to its staff going back over many years. These seminars conducted over two days, involve a number of presentations from organisations such as the Retirement Planning Council of Ireland, the Department of Social Protection and medical practitioners etc. The Bank covers the cost of the seminars.
