Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Begg and wish him well on his appointment in a challenging role, as he outlined in his presentation. There are huge challenges on the road ahead and the undertaking to which he has committed is significant. I wish him the very best of luck and hope he and the board will have success in facing some of the challenges, the outcome of which will have a massive impact on the current and future generations.

A point touched on by Deputy Catherine Byrne concerned the lack of pension coverage. Some 41% of workers do not have pension cover. How far does the challenge of increasing coverage extend into Mr. Begg's remit? He has oversight of existing pension schemes. On a related question, would he support the idea of making pension contributions mandatory throughout the public and private sectors? Is this the only solution to the problem? I would appreciate Mr. Begg's views on this question. I appreciate that he is only beginning his role and look forward to further engagement with him as he teases out some of these issues with a better insight, but I would like to hear his initial thoughts.