The Minister for Public Expenditure and reform, Brendan Howlin TD, has issued an order to extend the ‘grace period’, for the calculation of pension benefits for retiring public servants, to 1st April 2019.

Superannuation benefits of those grades affected by the reductions - under the terms of the  Haddington Road Agreement (HRA) - will continue to be calculated by reference to the scales in place on 30th June 2013, immediately before the HRA came into effect.

PRD repayment

The FEMPI Act 2015, which gives effect to the Lansdowne Road Agreement, provides for the repayment of a small amount of pension levy (€62.50) deducted in 2013.

To effect the repayment, the exemption threshold for Pension Related Deduction (PRD) for 2015 is increased from €15,000 to €17,500. This produces the required reduction in the rate of PRD in 2015.

The original provision, contained in the Haddington Road Agreement (HRA), was to apply from 1 July 2013 (HRA commencement date). However, this change was not implemented until January 2014 because of administrative and legal difficulties which did not facilitate it in mid-2013.

This meant there was an overpayment of PRD in 2013. Since 2013 public service unions, including IMPACT, have pursued this.

The €62.50 due to public servants is scheduled to be paid in December.