Kevin Humphreys (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Senator Alice-Mary Higgins will deal with the gender issue, but I have a final question. When we moved to average contributions, in many ways the bar to qualify for the State pension affected people who had started earlier in the workforce. They have been hugely disadvantaged, yet they are only starting to work into the system now. For example, some people began working at 16 or 17 in apprenticeships or on building sites. By comparison, somebody who went through university and did a master's degree, may only have joined the workforce aged 28. The bar for them to reach the full pension is much lower than for somebody who has been in the workforce for a longer period. Has that aspect been examined by the Department?