I move:
That the National School Teachers' Superannuation (Amendment) Scheme, 1967, made by the Minister for Education with the consent of the Minister for Finance, be confirmed.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to deal with the two amending schemes in one statement.
The main purpose of the scheme is to bring the statutory requirement relating to abatement of pension in the case of retired national and secondary school teachers into the line generally with the position which has obtained since 1st January, 1965 in the case of public service pensioners as a result of the provisions of the Pensions (Abatement) Act, 1965. For this reason also the new provisions in the case of the retired teachers are being brought into effect as from 1st January, 1965.
Under the existing provisions the pension of a retired teacher who is appointed to a post for which he is paid salary from public funds has his pension abated or suspended entirely, depending on the amount of the remuneration of his new post. The amending schemes remove the provision for abatement or suspension of the pension in the case of a retired teacher who is employed otherwise than in the teaching service in which he served immediately before retirement. The relevant paragraph in this respect in the case of the amending scheme for national teachers is 9 (2) and, in the case of the secondary teachers' scheme, it is paragraph 9.
Other amendments, of a relatively minor nature, being effected by the amending schemes are:
Paragraphs 7 of both schemes enable a simplification of existing procedures for the award of pensions to be effected so as to make for greater expedition in this regard. These are purely technical amendments.
Paragraphs 8 of both schemes place a limit of 40 years to the total pensionable service with which a person may be credited in the two teaching services —national and secondary. This is the maximum period reckonable under all single schemes.
Other amendments relate to the national teachers' scheme only. Paragraphs 9 (1) and 11 taken together deal with the case of a retired teacher who is eligible for the award of a pension at the date of retirement but who dies without having claimed it. Authorisation is being given for the submission of a claim for such pension by his legal personal representative. The provision enables payment to be made of whatever pension might be due from the date of retirement to the date of death in addition to the usual lump sum payable in the circumstances.
Paragraph 10 provides for the award of pensionable credit to a teacher for a certain period of service given by him in the employment of the Irish Folklore Commission before his re-entry into the teaching service.
I ask the House to approve these amending schemes which, I am sure it will be agreed, are of a non-controversial nature.
