Taoisigh and Ministers continue to walk away from the Dáil with massive, gold-plated, guaranteed pensions - it has happened under this and previous Fianna Fáil-led Governments - yet the relentless attack on the pension entitlements of workers continues. The latest attack is in Irish Life, a company that the Government sold and that has remitted €370 million to the parent company in the past two years.

As if that was not bad enough, it is now taking away the defined benefit pension scheme of 3,400 pensioners.

Promised legislation?

Exactly. I want to ask when the social welfare and pensions Bill, the general scheme of which has been published, will come forward and will the Government deal with this assault on the pension entitlements of workers, such as the Irish Life workers, in defined benefit pension schemes who paid in good faith and expect a decent pension?

It is at committee today.

There is pre-legislative scrutiny on the social welfare and pensions Bill today. We see the story this morning in regard to defined benefit pensions. There is increasing pressure on all of these funds. The Department of Social Protection and the Department of Finance are clearly concerned about this. No doubt it is an issue that will be discussed in the pre-legislative scrutiny on that proposed Bill.