Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

My question is about the other petition. There has been preliminary contact with the Minister's office about the petition which has the broad idea of amending the Social Welfare Acts to provide for the exclusion of short periods of PRSI contribution which then affect a person's overall pension. The Minister's Department advised us that there were no plans to amend the legislation and even if it were to be amended, such an exclusion would not be applied retrospectively and therefore the petitioner would not benefit. Even so, the petition is valid. Given that the Minister is here, will she confirm there are no plans and why that is the case? I imagine the answer is straightforward.