Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 February 2019
78. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the conclusions from a report that took into consideration a small cohort of workers (details supplied) working beyond 65 years of age in relation to the Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Act 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10179/19]
View answerThe Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Act 2018, which was enacted on the 26 December 2018, provides for an increase to age 70 in the compulsory retirement age of most public servants recruited before 1 April 2004. Under the Act, any relevant public servant who had not already retired on age grounds before 26 December 2018 now has a new compulsory retirement age of 70.
Enactment of the legislation has no effect on public servants who had already retired on reaching their compulsory retirement age prior to 26 December 2018. Public servants who reached the compulsory retirement age of 65 before the new legislation was enacted were required to retire in accordance with the statutory compulsory retirement age in effect at the time.
As the Deputy will be aware, limited interim arrangements were introduced to enable pre-2004 public servants who were required to retire at age 65 to be rehired for one year, until they reached the age of eligibility for the State Pension (Contributory) (66). Those retirees who availed of the interim arrangements did so in the knowledge that the new contract was for one year only, until they reached the age of 66. The terms of their fixed term contracts will continue to apply and they will cease working at age 66 as previously provided.
Section 3A(6) of the Act provides that I, as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform shall, within three months of the passing of the Act, prepare and lay before the Oireachtas a report on the public servants who were forced to retire between 6 December 2017 and the commencement of the Act, due to reaching the age of 65 years, and on potential remedies to assist this cohort of worker.
Work on the report is under way in accordance with the terms of Section 3A(6). Under that provision, publication of the report is required within three months of the passing of the Act on 26 December and I intend to comply with that timeline.
