Vol. 571 No. 3
57 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the position in relation to transferability of pension entitlements arising from years of teaching service in Northern Ireland and here; and if concrete progress has been made arising from the decision of the North- South Ministerial Council decision in February 2000 to set up a working group on teachers' superannuation to consider this matter. [21489/03]
There are no provisions in place at present between Northern Ireland and here to provide for the transfer of superannuation entitlements of teachers who have given pensionable service in both jurisdictions.
A joint working group on teachers' superannuation, set up by the North-South Ministerial Council, is currently examining the feasibility and implications of establishing reciprocal arrangements to facilitate the transfer of pension rights. The group consists of representatives of the Department of Education of Northern Ireland and of representatives of my Department and the Department of Finance. It also includes actuaries on both sides. In November 2001 the group reported to the North-South Ministerial Council that progress was being made and pointed out the potential for agreement on the establishment of a feasible transfer system. The group has identified a wide range of complex financial and technical issues which it proposes to investigate in more detail. In this connection a paper on the financial implications is currently under preparation by the actuaries, which when completed will form the basis of further discussions by the group.
