Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 July 2022
191. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if women civil servants employed prior to 1981 are required upon retirement to pay contributions owed to the Civil Service spouses and children's benefit scheme for years of employment prior to 1981 from their lump sum payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35266/22]
View answerWhen the ‘Original’ S&C Scheme (formerly named widows’ and orphans’ contributory pension scheme) was introduced for female civil servants in 1981 on terms equivalent to those applicable to male civil servants, the beneficiaries were confined to the spouses and children of marriages that took place prior to the individual leaving public service employment.
S.I. No. 56/1981 amended the existing Civil Service Widows' and Children's Contributory Pension Scheme and provided for the admission of established female civil servants to the scheme on terms equivalent to those applicable to male civil servants from 1 June 1981. In effect, that scheme then became the Spouses' and Children's Pension Scheme.
Membership of this scheme then applied to female officers in either of the following two categories:
(a) Those who were serving, or commenced to serve, in an established capacity at any time between 1 March 1980 and 31 May 1981, who did not opt out of the scheme and whose benefits take the form of a pension, lump sum and death gratuity rather than pension only.
(b) Those appointed to established posts on or after 1 June 1981.
If an individual who has been married during their scheme membership has not made periodic contributions from salary in respect of all pensionable service, non-periodic contributions are payable at retirement in respect of the outstanding ‘relevant service’, up to a maximum of 40 years. This relevant service can include pre-scheme service, depending on the periodic contributions which have been paid at the time of retirement. These non-periodic contributions will prevent a shortfall of scheme contributions and are usually deducted from the retirement lump sum at a rate of 1% of retiring salary for each year of relevant service.
