Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
390. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform what progress has been made on reviewing the criteria of qualification for the occupational supplementary pension in relation to allowing part-time work in addition to a pro-rata pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57225/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, I have overall policy responsibility in relation to public service occupational pension schemes payable to retired public servants.
An occupational supplementary pension seeks to make up the difference between the occupational pension which would have been payable had that pension not been integrated, and the occupational pension in payment when combined with any Social Insurance Benefits in payment. The payment of an occupational supplementary pension is not automatic and is subject to an individual meeting the following criteria:
• The retired public servant is not in paid employment;
• The retired public servant, due to no fault of their own, fails to qualify for Social Insurance benefit(s) or qualifies for a benefit at less that the value of the SPC; and
• The retired public servant must have reached minimum pension age or retired on grounds of ill-health.
In relation to the first condition above, any paid employment would exclude a retired public servant from the payment of the full value of the occupational supplementary pension, though the individual may qualify for a partial occupational supplementary pension on a pro-rata basis.
Where an individual in receipt of an occupational supplementary pension takes up employment, for example, for one day, the supplementary pension would cease for that one day only and will be payable for the other 4 working days in the week, similar to how an entitlement to Job seeker’s Benefit is treated. Therefore, taking up paid employment for one day in the week/year would not cause an occupational supplementary pension to cease for the whole year. The occupational supplementary pension would not be payable for that one day of paid employment.
