3926. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if her Department holds data on the gender composition of psychiatric and general nursing workforces, in the period enhanced psychiatric nursing pension arrangements were introduced and operated; the proportion of male and female nurses in each category for each available period; the analysis undertaken of the potential gender impact of different pension accrual arrangements; to publish the legal, equality or constitutional assessments by her Department or the HSE on the differential pension treatment of psychiatric nurses and general nurses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63640/26]

I thank the Deputy for this question.

Fast accrual is a public service pension policy mechanism and is not specific to any one profession or occupational group. Such arrangements have applied to a range of grades across the public service over time, including psychiatric nurses.

Responsibility for public service pension policy, including fast accrual arrangements, rests with the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. The pension arrangements applicable to psychiatric nurses arose within the broader framework of public service superannuation policy and must be considered in that context.

My responsibility as Minister for Health extends to matters for which I and my Department are officially responsible. Information of the type referred to by the Deputy, including historical workforce and pension-related records, may be held by the Health Service Executive or other relevant bodies and may not be held by my Department.

My Department has not identified any specific analysis undertaken by it in relation to the potential gender impact of the pension arrangements referred to by the Deputy.

In relation to the Deputy's request concerning legal, equality or constitutional assessments, it is not the long-standing practice to disclose legal advice obtained by Government Departments or public bodies. The existence or content of any particular legal advice is not ordinarily a matter on which Ministers comment. Any consideration of the disclosure of records would fall to be addressed in accordance with the applicable legal framework.

Any proposal to amend existing pension arrangements would require careful consideration of the policy, legal, operational and financial implications involved and would be a matter for Government in the first instance.