Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 May 2026
252. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on whether it is fair and right to deny a pension recipient (details supplied) a posted monthly payslip, given that the recipient is 83 years of age and completely unable to use computers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38496/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that the decision to reduce the printed payslip service to retired school staff is a consequence of many factors that have all received due consideration.
As you will be aware, my department faces considerable criticism with regard to the cost and administrative inefficiencies of printing payslips. However, of equal or greater concern are the considerable environmental impacts of printing payslips.
It is important to note that the revised service is in line with the 2025 Climate Action Roadmap and overarching Government Climate Action Plan that aims to eliminate paper-based processes as far as is practicable and promote digital options as default. The move to digital services is also a priority action area in “Connecting Government 2030”. Equally, the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026 builds on previous commitments and includes, among other obligations, both climate action initiatives and cooperation with the use of technology to deliver services digitally.
In that regard, you may be interested to know that my department is currently modernising the payroll system to include an online self-service portal where current and former school employees can access their payslips and personal data directly. This will provide payees with greater access and control over their own information with no compromise to the quality or accessibility of payroll services. Retired staff payroll will be the first payroll upgraded this year as part of the modernisation project and will give retired payees early access to the new self-service portal. This was another key factor in the decision to reduce the number of printed payslips to retired staff in the first instance. Similarly, as pension payments are relatively consistent each fortnight, they are less likely to experience any variation. Nevertheless, in order to ensure full transparency, payslips will continue to issue to retired staff should any variance occur.
The new self-service portal will conform to the standards specified in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines making content more accessible to a wider range of people using assistive technologies. My department will communicate regularly throughout this transformation and work closely with those concerned and their representatives to ensure the necessary supports are in place. In addition, the dedicated Customer Service Team will be expanded to assist in the transition and ensure payees who are less digitally proficient are not disadvantaged by providing the assistance required. My department is fully committed to supporting all payees in the transition to ensure a significantly improved and all-inclusive service is provided.
In the interim, for those experiencing difficulty accessing the digital payslip service, my department has committed to issuing printed payslips for the first and final pay issue in a financial year and where there is any change to nett pay when compared to the previous pay period. This will provide full visibility of any pay alterations and pay-related cumulative values for accounting purposes.
I appreciate that the revised service will take some adjustment but please rest assured that there will be no impact to fortnightly pension payments. My department will continue to operate with full cognisance of the potential barriers faced and ensure the best interests of retired payees are maintained.
