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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 7 Apr 1964

Vol. 208 No. 7

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Pension Payments.

9.

(South Tipperary) asked the Minister for Finance the present annual cost to the State of pensions of retired persons in the following categories stating the number of persons involved in each case: (a) civil servants (b) Garda Síochána, (c) national teachers, (d) national ex-servicemen, (e) vocational teachers, (f) secondary teachers, (g) local government officials, and (h) resigned and dismissed ex-servicemen.

The estimated cost to the Exchequer in the current financial year of pensions and other superannuation benefits for the categories mentioned by the Deputy will be found in the Estimates Volume under the following Votes:—

(a) and (h) Superannuation and Retired Allowances and Posts and Telegraphs;

(b) Garda Síochána;

(c) Primary Education;

(d) Army Pensions;

(e) Vocational Education;

(f) Secondary Education;

It is assumed that the category at (h) is intended to refer to resigned and dismissed members of the RIC.

The number of pensioners changes in the course of the year, but the Estimate provision shows the number of pensioners for each of the classes in question, except the pensioners in categories (e) and (f) whose pensions are not paid directly from the Votes. The number of pensioners shown is generally taken at the time the Estimate is being prepared, some months before the commencement of the financial year.

While the Exchequer grants paid to local authorities and to health authorities contain a superannuation element, separate particulars of payments in respect of local authority pensions, other than pensions of vocational teachers, etc., for which specific provision is made in the Vote for Vocational Education, are not available.

10.

(South Tipperary) asked the Minister for Finance if he will state in what countries a pensions policy is in operation incorporating automatic adjustment of pensions to increased cost of living.

Denmark is reported to have provisions for adjustment of pensions by reference to cost-of-living and some other countries are reported to have arrangements for revising pensions to correspond with salary revisions. The information at my disposal, however, is rather scanty and it would be misleading to ascertain simply whether pensions are increased, without considering other aspects of superannuation arrangements. The danger of isolating one exceptional feature is illustrated by the fact that, in at least one country where pensions are revised in relation to salary movements, it was found that in return for that concession an allowance payable to serving personnel was stopped. This in effect was equivalent to a substantial increase in pension fund contributions.

11.

(South Tipperary) asked the Minister for Finance (a) the annual expenditure on public service pensions over the past seven years, and (b) the total number of pensioners to which such pensions were payable in each year.

Expenditure from the Exchequer on pensions and other superannuation benefits paid out of voted moneys will be found in the Appropriation Accounts for the separate Votes, namely:—

Houses of the Oireachtas, Superannuation and Retired Allowances, Posts and Telegraphs, Garda Síochána, Primary Education, Vocational Education (Technical Instruction), Transport and Power, Army Pensions. Payments to Central Fund pensioners are shown in the Finance Accounts.

The number of pensioners varies in the course of the year, but the Estimates Volumes show, where appropriate, under the above Votes, the change in the number of pensioners from year to year.

Except in the Vote for Superannuation and Retired Allowances and, to a certain extent, in the Vote for Army Pensions, the Accounts do not distinguish expenditure on pensions from other superannuation payments such as lump sums and gratuities.

Information is available only as regards specific Exchequer expenditure. While the Exchequer grants to local authorities contain a superannuation element, separate figures of payments in respect of local authority pensions are not available, except for the statutory Exchequer payments towards the cost of superannuation in the vocational education service.

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