Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 23 Mar 1999

Vol. 502 No. 3

Written Answers. - Pension Provisions.

Ruairí Quinn

Ceist:

268 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a person (details supplied) in Dublin 4 has been seeking to have his pension entitlements finalised and enhanced in accordance with the years of service that he had with the Civil Service and Irish public bodies prior to his retirement following the sale of the company in which he was an employee; the steps, if any, he will take to ensure that a reasonable and proper settlement can be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7692/99]

Minister for Finance (Mr. McCreevy)

I have examined this case personally. There are a number of difficulties associated with the pension terms sought by the individual concerned, who was seconded for a number of years from one public service body to another and who then retired from the first body.

The principle is that public service pensions are based on the salary which was payable by the organisation which employed the individual at the time of retirement and on the individual's pensionable service, including seconded service with another organisation. In this case, the individual was awarded a pension in accordance with the rules of the pension scheme of the public service body which employed him and from which he was seconded to the other public service body. and the award took account of the period of seconded service.

Against this background, it would not be appropriate for me to alter the position taken by my Department that the retirement benefits payable to the individual in question should be those provided by the pension scheme of the organis ation which actually employed him. In particular the pension benefits should be determined on the basis of substantive salary levels within the organisation concerned and not on the basis of a higher pay level applying during secondment.