Ms Naomi Feely:

I would like to pick up a point made by the Deputy about the numbers affected by the 2012 cuts to the eligibility and criteria of the State pension. One of the points made was on people who may have taken time out of the State, particularly those who emigrated around the 1980s when people were out of work here. This is a critical issue. It might appear to be outside the remit of this committee but it is about planning for an ageing population and not just thinking about the circumstances of older people today. We must also think about those of us who are in our 30s and 40s and what is needed to ensure that, as we age, we have a very positive experience of ageing and that Ireland is a good place in which to grow old. This brings us back to the national positive ageing strategy and while it is not within the remit of this committee, the financing and funding of health, pensions, transport supports and enabling people to stay in their own homes is really critical and must be looked at also. It is an important point to make. What happens when we have more people who have taken time out from the workforce here and who may have given less of a contribution in Ireland?

That should be taken into consideration. There is no point worrying on the day it happens that we suddenly have all these people. We need to plan for it now.