Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I do not wish to delay the proceedings. I raised this issue with the Minister on Second Stage. I had a long conversation when the pensions legislation was passed last year as I argued for a different priority order than the Minister.

There is an urgency in terms of the lobbying we and others have received in recent weeks because the IASS scheme and the changes asked of its members seem to be coming to a conclusion at the end of December. Aer Lingus is recommending or has accepted the changes and the airport workers, fire workers and airport police have still to vote on them. SIPTU is demanding a meeting with the company.

Many of the people who have been lobbying us are deferred members who feel excluded from the system. They do not have a right to appeal or to representation and were not part of negotiations. They believe, and I see from the proposals to date, that they will be disproportionately affected. What is the mechanism for changing legislation to ensure that people are not disproportionately affected? The Social Welfare Bill was one of the mechanisms and in the past, a social welfare Bill became a social welfare and pensions Bill. I think the intention of all of us who produced the amendments is to bring about some type of discussion around that.