Contributory pension changes
John Curran asked whether Cabinet had received a report on pension changes. The Taoiseach said no such report had come to Cabinet and repeated that the total contributions approach would begin in 2020, with interim proposals still being worked up.
Regarding the issue of the contributory pension, last week the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, stated in the House:
I committed to having my officials carefully examine the approaches we could take to address it. The process is actually very nearly completed. I had a meeting with my officials yesterday. I had hoped to bring the matter to the Cabinet today but I did not want to bring something that was ... three-quarters baked. I have no doubt I will have it [finished] in the next couple of days.
Did a report on this issue come to Cabinet today? Is it unrealistic for Members of this House, in light of these comments, to expect the issue to be addressed sooner rather than later? The Minister reiterated this comment on Thursday in committee. The Government does not require a majority in this House or the Upper House. This is a matter for the Government to act on, and the Minister indicated that on two occasions last week.
Comment on this
No report of that nature came to Cabinet today. As I indicated earlier, we have a solution, which is a new approach to calculating the State pension contributory, namely, the total contributions approach. It will come into effect in 2020. It will need to be legislated for. However, in the meantime, the Minister and her officials and officials of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform are exploring interim proposals. However, we do not have them worked up or costed yet, and that will take a number of weeks.