Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 12 February 2014

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection

Implications for Employees of Changes to Pension Age: Discussion

2:00 pm

Photo of Marie MoloneyMarie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

My questions are similar to those of Deputy Collins. I thank the witnesses for their presentations. When I heard about the changes, I approached the Minister about the jobseeker's benefit for someone who was on a transition pension, so that it would be extended for 12 months. In fairness, she agreed to it, so I welcome that move. However, as we progress onwards what will happen to a person who reaches the age of 67? What will happen in the year in between? Will such people be obliged to apply for the jobseeker's allowance? If they have received a lump sum from the company they worked for, that will obviously affect them adversely. Will they be using up their lump sum for a year?

Mr. Whelan referred to women and I will make a bigger issue of that matter. I have tabled an Adjournment matter in the Seanad next week on this issue, concerning the years 1968 to 1994. A woman applying for a pension today would have been about 20 in 1968. She would have given up her job to rear her children. In 1994, homemaker's credits were introduced so today's women will all be looked after to that extent. They will be able to claim credits for the time they rear their children. However, from 1968 to 1994 there were no homemaker's credits. Women were also affected by the marriage bar and had to give up working. We are talking about a small cohort of women. They are women who went to work before their children were born, were laid off, and then resumed work afterwards. Some of them may now be on a widow's pension, while others may not have gone back to work once their children were reared. There were various reasons why some of them may not even have entered employment until after their children were reared, so they will not be affected.

The cohort of women to which I refer are applying for pensions, so they are affected due to the fact that they left work to rear their children. If homemaker's credits can be given to women from 1994, why not from 1968? It would be easy to identify those women because they have been paid the children's allowance. I am pressing this matter strongly with the Minister and I will not give up on it easily.

It was said that people have an option to continue working after 65 if they want to, and the European Court ruling was mentioned, but that is not happening on the ground. I know for a fact that women who were home helps were forced to retire at 65 and had no choice. They were told to go and that was it. It is not as straightforward as saying that one can challenge it. How long does it take to go through the Labour Court? A person may have left work for a year before that court will hear a case and reinstate them.

I have a lot more to say but it is not fair to take all the time. I would appreciate hearing the witnesses' responses to those questions.

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