Mr. Fergus Whelan:

If that was the only objective, it would not be too bad. It is an objective that has been achieved. For a long time, every time there was a new report by the Pensions Board or anywhere in the public service, demographic material was included suggesting we were living way beyond our means and that we must tackle the public pension provision. The troika came as a godsend to these people because they were immediately able to raise the pension age without any public debate, go further than anywhere else and not engage in discussion about what they were saving.