2025-12-11

11. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if the Government will commit to a reinstatement of the supplementary pension facility for uniformed services, to ensure that retention and recruitment can increase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60495/25]

I am taking this question on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Duncan Smith. This is something he and the Labour Party as a whole have championed for many years. Will the Government commit to the reinstatement of the supplementary pension facility for uniformed services to ensure that retention and recruitment can increase?

The Single Public Service Pension Scheme is a statutory public service career-average defined benefit pension scheme. It was established under the public service pensions Act 2012. The provisions of the scheme are clearly set out in law. All new-entrant public servants hired after 1 January 2013 are members of the single scheme. The introduction of the scheme is instrumental in ensuring the sustainability of public service pensions, particularly in the context of improved life expectancy and rising public service employee numbers. As the single scheme uses a career-averaging model, members' retirement benefits are based on a percentage of their pensionable earnings throughout their public service careers. For each pay period, members accrue amounts towards their retirement benefits. The total accrued at retirement, with adjustments for inflation, determines their final retirement benefits. This is payable in addition to any social welfare pension entitlement. Uniformed members, including firefighters, prison officers, gardaí and members of the Defence Forces, have enhanced benefits that other single scheme members do not have. Uniformed staff can accrue more benefits over their expected shorter public service careers in recognition of their retirement age. When uniformed staff reach normal retirement age, they can retire and receive their retirement lump sum and occupational pension benefit payments. While single scheme pension benefits are integrated with the contributory State pension, these benefits are separate and additional to any entitlement they may have to the State pension, which is paid from the age of 66 by the Department of Social Protection. In 2024, the Government enacted legislation to allow for an increase in the mandatory retirement age for uniformed staff to 62, if they wish to avail of it. It also allows uniformed staff to build up additional referrable amounts towards their single scheme pension for additional years worked, increasing its final value. A supplementary pension was never a feature of the single scheme, nor was it planned to be. No commitment has been made by the Government in relation to supplementary pensions for single scheme fast accrual members.

On the face of it, that is a complete and utter "No". Do Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and the Government for many years now, not realise that the men and women in our Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, fire services and Prison Service go above and beyond? What we have right now in all of our public service, but particularly in our uniformed services, is a retention and recruitment crisis. All of those groups I mentioned - gardaí, firefighters, Defence Forces personnel and Prison Service staff - have stated that, because of this pension scheme, more and more people are leaving early. If you are told at the age of 55 that you have to get a new job, why would you not do so now? You would because you do not know what condition you will be in at 55. That is no disrespect to anybody but it is a fact. On the face of the Minister's reply, I am taking it as a complete "No".

The Single Public Service Pension Scheme, introduced in 2013, was one of the biggest ever pension reforms. Part of what we are trying to do is ensure we have sustainability of pension provision and can pay for this over the longer term. The work that has been undertaken to increase the mandatory retirement age for uniformed staff also helps in the context of workforce planning and to give certainty to uniformed staff, where they can build up additional referrable amounts towards their single scheme pension for any additional years worked, increasing its final value. Work is also ongoing in the context of the respective pay agreements we have to improve the pay and conditions of uniformed staff and as a retention measure for members across the public service. That work is ongoing, with direct engagement with the respective bodies. This was an important reform. It has been there for nearly 12 years. It is important in the context of sustainability of State pensions.

Mr. Karl Dalton, the Prison Officers Association general secretary, said, “If the last government believes that extending the retirement age alone addressed the concerns of Prison Officers, Gardai [sic], Firefighters and members of the Defence Forces, this survey [which was carried out] shows just how little they understand these services and the people who work in them.” I know the Minister does not want this to be his legacy within the Department of expenditure, but he and the rest of the Government have a decision to make. We have a retention and recruitment crisis. These are the men and women on the ground. If there is any storm across the country, or any crisis, we are all safe at home, but these people are on the front line. They are out there representing this country. That is the bottom line here. We do not want these people in a position where they feel, ultimately, that they are not wanted or respected. The Minister referred to the reform of the pension scheme. That has completely failed. People are leaving these services, including An Garda Síochána, fire services, the Prison Service and the Defence Forces. It does not take anyone to see it. If you look at it from the outside in, they are leaving.

The increase in the mandatory retirement age helps and makes a difference. It is part of what we are trying to do. It improves the overall end pension in terms of referrable amounts towards the single scheme pension. Another issue raised during the engagement with workers was that of basic pay and conditions, which we engage on in the context of the respective pay agreements. There is well-documented evidence on the need to ensure we have a sustainable pension system we can pay for in the long term. That is why retaining this in the context of future reforms is critical to ensuring we can manage the long-term sustainability of it. It is important to look at it in the round. We have strong engagement with trade unions in the context of the public service pay agreements. To fundamentally undermine and disrupt the Single Public Service Pension Scheme would have implications for paying for this in the long term. I am sure the Deputy has read the "Future Forty: A Fiscal and Economic Outlook to 2065" report published by the Department of Finance on the need to manage the inevitable demographic shift that will happen in the Irish economy in the long term.