Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 June 2014
774. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason members of the IASS were included in the State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25894/14]
View answerThe State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill provides for amendments to the existing provisions governing the State airport authorities' superannuation schemes. The Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (IASS) is a multi-employer scheme involving DAA, SAA, Aer Lingus and former SR Technics staff. Resolution of the funding difficulties in the IAS scheme, where there is a deficit of over €760m, is primarily a matter for the Trustees, the companies participating in the Scheme, the members and the Pensions Authority. The deficit in the scheme has arisen over the years as the companies and the members did not put enough into the scheme to match the benefits that were expected.
The provisions of the Bill in relation to the IASS do not prejudice in any way the discussions that are taking place among the parties on finding a solution to the problems in the pension scheme or the work undertaken by the Expert Panel established by the Departments of Transport, Tourism and Sport and Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Ibec and ICTU aimed at finding a solution to the industrial relations issues relating to the IASS. The Panel presented its final report on 16 June. Now that the Panel's work is complete, I would urge all parties to the Scheme to give the report very careful consideration, use its recommendations as the basis for timely constructive engagement, and to achieve a resolution in the best interests of all parties. The recommendations in this report represent the last best chance to resolve this long-standing problem, and give people certainty about their future pension entitlements.
The aim of the provisions in the Bill is to ensure that any legislative blockages to solutions arrived at by the parties are removed. Without providing for these changes in the Bill, the recommendations of the Expert Panel, or indeed any solution agreed among the parties, will be incapable of being implemented by the employers and the trustees.
