Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I remind all of those present - including members, the media and those in the public Gallery - that mobile phones and BlackBerrys must be switched off completely because, even in silent mode, they interfere with the sound recording system. I am pleased to welcome the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, and her officials, Ms Patricia Murphy, principal officer, and Ms Vera McGrath, assistant principal officer, from the pensions policy section, the purpose of which is to consider policy issues relating the revised eligibility criteria for the contributory State pension, including averaging the number of PRSI contributions over the years. The committee's invitation to the Minister to attend these proceedings followed on from its consideration of a number of petitions. The committee particularly wishes to discuss the steps that were taken by the Department to ensure that there was sufficient time lag prior to the introduction of the new criteria in order that people would be afforded the opportunity to put their affairs in order and would not be caught out in the context of the old and new requirements. I invite the Minister to make her opening statement.