Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Gaynor for his petition and submission and for raising what is an important debate, certainly one that has educated me - I apologise for being a little bit late, but I had to attend something prior to this meeting - on many aspects of what is quite a complicated situation, given the many different types of pensioner. We need to have a serious discussion on this matter. For those of us who are at an age when, having not done so to date, we must start thinking about such issues, the debate Mr. Gaynor has raised will be helpful.

I am sympathetic to what Mr. Gaynor is saying. His main point seems to be that a private sector employee who has worked for all of his or her life and made contributions will be substantially disadvantaged compared with a public sector employee who started working before certain dates. Incredibly, the issue to do with Ministers is sickening. I do not know how Mr. Gaynor is not in a rage about how anyone elected before a certain year was ring-fenced. Was it 2004?