Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 May 2017
359. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if recently retired public servants and local authority staff will receive an increase to their pension from the partial pay restoration which commenced on 1 April 2017; if future pay restoration measures will increase pension benefits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25335/17]
View answerUnder the Lansdowne Road Agreement, the Government as public service employer agreed to an increase in annualised basic salaries of €1,000 for the period 1 April to 31 August 2017 inclusive payable to:
- public servants on annualised basic salaries up to €65,000;
- who are parties to the Lansdowne Road Agreement; and
- who do not stand to benefit from the Labour Court Recommendations (CD/16/321 & CD/16/322);
The salary increase was agreed to address the pay anomaly arising from the Labour Court Recommendations in late 2016 accepted by the Government in resolution of the pay dispute with the Garda Associations. The terms of that settlement did not impact on pensions in payment and the current increase of €1,000 for the period 1 April to 31 August 2017 on annualised basic salaries up to €65,000 also does not impact on pensions in payment.
With regard to the Deputy's reference to future pay restoration measures, the position is that, as we move beyond "FEMPI" legislation and the progressive removal of the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR) towards more normal pay and pension setting conditions in the public service, the issue of how to adjust the post-award value of public service pensions, through appropriate pay or other linkages, will be considered by Government in due course.
