The teacher referred to by the Deputy applied for a disability pension and also, without prejudice to this application, applied for a pension under strand 1 of the early retirement scheme for teachers.
A disability pension is payable only where the chief medical officer for the Civil Service is satisfied, on the basis of the medical evidence, that the applicant is unfit to teach by reason of ill health and that the incapacity is likely to be permanent. In this case, the chief medical officer was unable to make a decision on the basis of the evidence submitted and requested that the teacher be examined by a specialist.