asked the Minister for Health if, in view of the fact that he accepts that nurses in voluntary hospitals are to be paid the same salary scales as those payable to nurses in local authority hospitals, he will state why it is proposed to grant the former lesser pension benefits.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Pensions of Nurses.
60.
The provision of superannuation schemes for their staffs is a matter for the authorities of each voluntary hospital. As Minister for Health, I am concerned only to the extent to which the cost of superannuation of the staffs of those hospitals may affect the revenue deficits towards which grants are payable from the Hospitals Trust Fund.
As I indicated in a reply to a question on this matter on 23rd of last month, the authorities of the hospitals concerned were informed in 1954 that the cost of such schemes would rank pari passu with the other revenue expenditure for the purpose of determination of grants from the Hospitals Trust Fund towards the revenue deficits. This undertaking was subject to the limitation that the benefits to be provided should not exceed those which would be available to similar staffs in the employment of local authorities. The authorities of some hospitals availed themselves of this means of providing for retirement benefits for their staffs, and others had in fact already made such provision. Others, however, made no superannuation arrangements.
In order that benefits should be made available to persons retiring from employment in the last-mentioned hospitals it was agreed in 1963 that, in so far as the recoupment of revenue deficits is concerned, a lump sum and pension might be awarded to a person who, if they had been employed by a local authority, would have qualified for such payments. As the terms of employment do not provide for the grant of superannuation benefits in such a case and as the persons concerned have not paid pension contributions during their employment the benefits, while calculated in accordance with the provisions of the local government superannuation code, are based on one-half of actual service. Similarly where a pension scheme was introduced in the course of a person's service, the service before the operation of the scheme is reckonable as to one-half.
I am advised, having regard to accepted standards of superannuation schemes, that this is a generous provision in respect of service for which no superannuation commitment exists and I would not feel justified in departing from it in approving arrangements for the superannuation of voluntary hospital nurses.
Is it not a fact then that a number of retired nurses, or nurses who are about to retire from voluntary hospitals, are in a much worse position than their counterparts of similar age who were fortunate enough to be employed in public hospitals? Having regard to the relatively small number of individuals involved, could we prevail upon the Minister to ensure that steps will be taken to give full recognition to the service of these nurses in the voluntary hospitals? Most of these people will have worked much longer hours and in much more difficult conditions in the past than the people in the nursing service will be required to operate in future.
I would certainly be willing to use my good offices with the voluntary hospitals.
61.
asked the Minister for Health how many nurses in retirement from voluntary hospitals are in receipt of pensions in whole or in part paid from public funds.
The number at the beginning of the year 1966 was 23, and this was increased by nine in the course of the year. Up-to-date information as to the number still surviving is not available to me.