The Government should consider revising the retirement age of officers serving in specialist public institutions, including the Prisons Department, as retaining experienced professionals is essential to maintaining the quality and efficiency of critical State services, said the Justice Minister, attorney Harshana Nanayakkara.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday (7), he said: "Any profession requires mature and experienced people if you are to solve difficult problems. In many of these services, officers retire at 55 or 60 years of age. That is not consistent with present-day realities."

He revealed that the Department has repeatedly requested an extension of its retirement age. "The Department has made many requests asking us to extend their retirement age, even by one or two years. I believe that the retirement age in the Department should be re-considered as a matter of Government policy," he said.

He further said that valuable expertise is also lost in institutions such as the Government Analyst's (GA) Department due to officials' retirement at ages of 55 and 60. "When officers retire at 60, you lose people with years of knowledge and experience. The same situation exists in the Legal Draftsman's Department. These are highly specialised fields," he said.

He said that the same principle applies to the Judiciary, noting that High Court Judges currently retire at the age of 60. "If we are serious about retaining professional expertise across selected Government institutions, we have to take a policy decision on retirement ages. Otherwise, we continue losing experienced officers long before suitable replacements are ready."

His remarks come amid public criticism over reported Government plans to increase the retirement age of Judges serving in the Superior Courts (Supreme Court and Court of Appeal).