Public Servants who are in non-marital relationships and wish to pass their pensions to partners have long complained about futile contributions that they have made to widows and orphans funds only not be able to transfer them to their partners when they die.

Former Minister for Finance Charlie McCreevy annouced a review of the arrangements in 2004. It was part of a examination of the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on Public Service Pensions which had reported in 2001.  The review and proposals have been ready for some time now – they included raising pension contributions for those who wished to join the scheme (even though they were paying it already and unable to claim!!!)

Today’s Sunday Tribune reports that Finance Minister Brian Lenihan is going to shelve plans to introduce a scheme of non-spousal pension rights. No real suprise there then ‘in the current climate’  but maybe the Minister can answer how the Civil Service proposes to maintain it’s committment to it’s Circular published in 2002 on ‘Diversity in the Civil Service – A Policy on Equality of Opportunity’ .

Equality of Opportunity

4.         Equality of opportunity in the Civil Service means that:

–  all Civil Servants can be confident that their rights under the Employment Equality Act are guaranteed and that no-one will receive less favourable treatment than someone else because of their gender, marital or family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race or membership of the Traveller community;

–  throughout their working lives, Civil Servants can be assured of equality of participation in their Department[1], regardless of gender, marital or family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race or membership of the Traveller community; 

–  all Civil Servants have a responsibility to create a working environment in which differences are respected and in which all people – staff, clients and customers – are valued as individuals; 

–  as an employer, the Civil Service will strive to achieve real equality of opportunity by continuously monitoring its employment practices to ensure that they do not perpetuate existing inequalities.

 

Or maybe gay and unmarried civil servants can finally be allowed to opt out of paying pension contributions etc on pensions that they will never be able to claim?

Or maybe the Minister could favour gay and unmarried civil servants for being cheap to hire as they don’t become pension liabilities? 

I can see those posters now- ‘Dorothy the teacher did her duty for the nation in coming out and not getting married – no widower’s pension needed to be paid. Thoughtful and committed to the last in saving the nations pennies’  We need more people like Dorothy! Come join us’.

(Sunday Sarcasm factor is currently rated at high)