The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act 2009 provided for the superannuation benefits of public servants, who retired within a ‘grace period' which ended on 29 February 2012, to be unaffected by the pay reductions introduced for all public servants with effect from 1 January 2010 under that Act. In the period 1 January 2012 to 29 February 2012, a total of 475 staff retired from my Department and the agencies under my remit, including An Garda Síochána. Of these 475, only one staff member who was a Governor in the Prison Service has been re-employed in the Prison Service on a fixed term contract to meet pressing operational and transformation requirements. The individual's pension has been abated since the commencement of the contract. The total cost of this contract to date is €43,939.27. I am not aware of any other public servant being re-employed by my Department or agencies under its remit. I am however confirming the position and will revert to the Deputy in the event that the position is other than that stated above. It should be noted that on occasion, retired public servants may be engaged mainly on a short term basis because of their particular knowledge and expertise in a particular area, for example, to serve on interview boards, complete investigations etc. Such instances would not be considered re-employment.
