asked the Minister for Health if he will state generally the qualifying conditions for retirement allowances or gratuities applicable to manual workers employed by mental hospital authorities, who are not registered officers or servants.
Written Answers. - Mental Hospital Manual Workers.
48.
The superannuation provisions regarding the vast majority of mental hospital staff are contained in Part VIII of the Mental Treatment Act, 1945 but some staff are covered by the provisions of the Asylum Officer's Superannuation Act, 1909. Broadly the Mental Treatment Act, 1945 provides that a permanent unregistered officer or servant can become eligible for the grant of an annual allowance and lump sum while the 1909 Act provides that such officer for an servant can become eligible for an allowance only. Under each Act an unregistered permanent officer or servant is eligible for a superannuation award (a) if he has at least 20 years' service and is not less than 60 years of age, or (b) if he retires due to permanent incapacity as a result of injury or illness after 10 years' service, or (c) if he retires due to permanent incapacity due to injury sustained in the course of his duties and has less than 10 years' service.
Under the 1945 Act a woman who is an unregistered permanent officer or servant is eligible for a gratuity when she leaves the service of the mental hospital authority to get married after at least 5 years' service.