MORE THAN one-third of all retired gardaí in receipt of Garda pensions are in their 50s, and a small number are under 50, new figures from the Department of Justice show.
And the vast majority of teachers who retire on teacher pensions annually are under the retirement age of 65, according to the Department of Education.
Of the total 7,388 pensioner gardaí, 115 are aged under 50; 2,651 are in their 50s and some 2,482 are between 60 and 70. The remaining 2,140 are 70 and over.
Members of An Garda Síochána who joined the force before April 1st, 2004, may retire once they have served at least 30 years and have reached 50. Members who joined the force on or after that date may retire once they have served at least 30 years and have reached 55 years of age. In both cases members must retire once they reach 60, a spokesman said.
Average pension payments by grade are €31,500 for a garda, €34,500 for a sergeant; €37,500 for an inspector; €50,000 for a superintendent; and €60,500 for a chief superintendent, according to the department of Justice.
According to the Department of Education and Science, 21,385 retired teachers are in receipt of teachers’ pensions.
Just over 14 per cent of all secondary and primary school teacher pensioners are in their 50s. Of these, 12,445 were primary school teachers. There are 8,940 retired secondary and community and comprehensive school teachers.
Most teachers retire before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65 for teachers who are not new entrants. Between 7 per cent and 12 per cent of retirements occur where the teacher has reached the mandatory retirement age.
The percentage fluctuates within that range from year to year, the department said. The figures compiled by the Department of Education reveal that 1,718 primary teachers in receipt of a teacher’s pension are aged 50-59; while about 14 per cent of pensioned secondary teachers, some 1,331, are in their 50s .
A small number – 44 primary teachers and 38 post-primary – are aged under 50.
Most of those under 50 retired for reasons of ill health, but there may also be some who retired under the three-stranded early retirement scheme, which is no longer in existence, the department has said. Some 5,118 primary teacher pensioners are aged 60-69.
The mandatory retirement age is generally 65, but for new entrants this is the pension age, and there is no mandatory retirement age.
The average annual gross pension for retired teachers would be “of the order of €32,000 to €33,000” before the public service pension reduction is applied, the department said.
The figures for retired teachers are available only for primary and secondary school teachers.
Figures on retirements from schools run by the VECs are not available from the department and have to be accessed through each VEC individually.
In the Co Kerry VEC, for instance, just under 10 per cent (17) out of the total 168 retired teachers are in their 50s, 33 are in their early 60s, and 118 are over 66. Among nurses, pension numbers and age profile may only be accessed through the old health board systems, the Department of Health has said.