Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I accept the Deputy’s good intentions and that he is not trying to undermine the viability of businesses. However, while there has been an improvement in the economy, we have to be careful that there are not unintentional consequences by accepting proposals such as this. That is why I would be cautious on this matter. The last thing we want to do is put companies in a more difficult position by increasing their liability for pension schemes which, in turn, could result in job losses.

The pensions area is the next big challenge for the State. We need to move slowly on it to ensure we get it correct because it will have an impact on the economy for many decades.