Submission 118

March 2008

Green Paper submission

My issue concerns the current anomalies created by the compulsory age restrictions to qualify for a full contributory pension and public sector retirement schemes.
I wish the members of the Oireachtas to consider the following recommendations in the drafting of new legislation:

Delete the compulsory retirement age of 65 years in the public sector.
Delete the age restriction of 56 years for making contributions to qualify for a contributory pension.
Delete the compulsory retirement age for all local authority officers including those permanently employed before 2004, when the Act was arbitrarily amended.
Facilitate the continued payments, through PRSI towards contributory pensions for public sector employees, including the local authority retirement benefits, to qualify for full or maximum entitlement in relation to the number of years of service towards a full benefit.
Replace compulsory payment of state and public contributory pensions at age 65 years with an elective system to enable those without the full entitlement at age 65 years to forgo a partial entitlement payment and continue to make payments through PSRI until full entitlement is paid, or until a person elects to retire.
Make the legislation retrospective so that those currently over 65 years, lacking the minimum number of payments to qualify for a full contributory pension, who are still in employment and are paying PSRI can qualify for entitlement to a full contributory pension. This can be achievement through a sum payment of the value of the missing number of PRSI payments.

In my opinion, these amendments are necessary to ensure that new legislation, implementing the EU directive regarding the elimination of discrimination based on age, complies with the directive.