Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 February 2015
15. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent and basis of his Department's involvement with the expert panel dealing with the IASS, including the initiative proposed on 2 December 2014 by the Secretary General of his Department and by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport; and the subsequent action taken. [5857/15]
View answerOfficials from my Department, including the Secretary General, have attended a number of meetings involving officials from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, IBEC and ICTU as part of the review process of the Irish Aviation Superannuation Scheme (IASS) undertaken by the Expert Panel.
The involvement of officials from my Department in the meetings was in the context of providing relevant advice and expertise as required in line with my Department’s responsibility for industrial relations issues generally and, specifically, with regard to the complex industrial relations issues that remain to be resolved arising from the relevant Labour Court Recommendations of 2013.
At the request of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the Expert Panel was asked to re-engage with SIPTU and ICTU in relation to matters dealt with in its report, including the actuarial assumptions, and to provide clarity on those matters. There were also discussions immediately before Christmas between the Departments, members of the Expert Panel and ICTU in relation to this engagement which helped to refine the areas of focus for the Panel.
That process is ongoing at present and it is for the Panel to complete its work as effectively and efficiently as possible in providing the clarifications sought.
