Mr. Fergus Whelan:

Of course, it is beneficial for older people to work, particularly when they want to do so. There is nothing in the changes to facilitate older people working. It is not a question of giving a pension to women who do not have one. What has happened is that working women who took some time out of the workforce and expected to receive a pension of €12,000 per year have had €1,500 deducted from it as of last September. It is not a question of giving people more. It is taking money from people who had a legitimate expectation of receiving it.