Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 December 2014
87. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform as pay and pensions in payment are now being processed separately in the public service, if he will introduce legislation to give the Alliance of Retired Public Servants a statutory right to an audience with the Government and pension authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48118/14]
View answerThe effect of my question is to ask the Minister if he will agree to introduce legislation to provide for a legal right for public service pensioners to an audience with the Government and pension authorities and access to the Labour Court and the Labour Relations Commission on a statutory basis rather than on a concession basis.
Again, I thank Deputy Healy for the question. The question of legislation to give rights to pensioners or representatives of pensioners to engage in industrial relations matters or to appear before the State's industrial tribunals is a matter within the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, not mine. It of course is not necessary for any group to have legislation passed or to have legislation passed on behalf of its representatives to seek to engage with any Minister of the Government. I am happy that the Alliance of Retired Public Servants has formed a group to give voice to the major concerns of public service pensioners. When I first met pensioners in May 2013, I indicated to them my support for the formation of such a grouping. I also stated my intention as a matter of priority to move towards reducing the burden of public service pension reductions, with the initial focus on the people in receipt of low pensions, at the earliest date that economic progress permitted.
Following the formal establishment of the Alliance of Retired Public Servants as an alliance open to all public service pension organisations earlier this year, I instructed my officials to make contact with the alliance and to engage with its representatives on the specific matters that concern them. Moreover, I have myself met the alliance's representatives to discuss their particular concerns about the impact of the measures introduced over the last few years, especially on the incomes of public sector pensioners. I therefore am fully aware of the concerns which have been raised regarding the ongoing imposition of public service pension reductions on the pensions of many retired public servants. I am required to review the financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI, legislation annually, having regard to the purposes of the legislation. In my most recent report laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas in June 2014, I concluded that the continuation of the public service pension reduction, PSPR, remained necessary. However, it is important that I, as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, give consideration as to how, over the medium term, pay and pensions policy currently underpinned by that FEMPI legislation will be unwound. Any proposals to amend the FEMPI Acts, including any changes to the public service pension reduction, will of course require primary legislation to be brought before the House.
I thank the Minister and will come back to him. I call Deputy Healy.
The Alliance of Retired Public Servants was established informally in 2013 and formally this year. It represents approximately 75,000 retired public servants right across the Civil Service, local authorities, health employees etc. I accept fully and welcome that the Minister has met the alliance. However, he has done so on a concessionary basis and I ask him to introduce legislation that will give the alliance a legal or a statutory right to representation. That is a reasonable request from the pensioners. Briefly, the position concerning pensioners is that pensions are in fact property rights and quite a substantial number of pensioners, approximately 1,500, die each year. I request that the Minister restore the cuts in pensions and that he legislate to ensure any outstanding moneys to pensioners who have died will be paid into their estates.
Again, the actual introduction of legislation that would give any group statutory rights of representation before the State's industrial tribunals or in industrial relations matters is a matter for the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and consequently, I have no function in that regard. However, as I stated, I am happy to meet the retired pensioners' association whenever issues arise regarding matters that might have an impact on their income. On the other point made by the Deputy in respect of property rights, it is something I have repeated often in this Chamber when people call on me to abate arbitrarily pensions and I believe the Government has done this as far as it safely can go constitutionally. I will seek to restore those as the FEMPI provisions are unwound in an orderly way that is sustainable for the economy of the State.
On the legislation, will the Minister use his influence at Cabinet, at the Economic Management Council and with his colleague to further the question of legislating for this group of pensioners?
I will happily raise this point and will indicate Deputy Healy's concern on this issue with my colleague, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
