Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 10 Dec 1998

Vol. 498 No. 3

Written Answers - Pension Provisions.

Noel Ahern

Ceist:

74 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the reason amendments to the CIÉ clerical executive and supervisory pension funds have not been completed four years after agreement between the company and unions; if a full timetable of events to date will be given, including current difficulties and solutions outlined; the length of time it will take to finalise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27131/98]

Minister for Public Enterprise (Mrs. O'Rourke)

The amendments to the CIE salaried superannuation schemes, which in turn depend on the amalgamation of the schemes, have not been carried through because of two major legal difficulties associated with the legislation on which these schemes are founded.

The first of these difficulties was identified towards the end of 1996 and the other was identified in February this year. Since the difficulties first came to light, officials of my Department, together with officials of the Office of the Attorney General and representatives of CIE, have been urgently addressing them but they are proving very difficult to resolve.

I am now advised that primary legislation will be necessary for the amalgamation of the scheme to proceed. It is only subsequent to the amalgamation that the amendments to the schemes in question can be made. Significant progress has recently been made in identifying solutions to the legal difficulties. I hope that these difficulties will be resolved through the passage of primary legislation at the earliest available opportunity.