Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses from Age Action Ireland. The report compiled by Maureen Bassett, Towards A Fair State Pension for Women Pensioners, was very helpful. When I raised this issue with the Taoiseach on 21 February 2017, he indicated that he would give this committee a remit to examine the recommendations made by Age Action Ireland. I apologise for missing the start of the meeting.

The witnesses made two fundamental recommendations. The first is that the 2012 changes should be reversed and backdated, at least until there is a move to a total contributions assessment approach. The Taoiseach could not tell me what level of savings the Government made each year from 2012 as a result of the changes. Perhaps the witnesses know what the net cost would be, were this committee to recommend restoration of the relevant pre-2012 pension arrangements. It is an emotive issue. On 21 February I quoted a female constituent of mine who pointed out to me that the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Varadkar, said on several occasions that there are winners and there are losers. He may discover the truth of that statement in the weeks to come. Thousands of constituents are very bitter that they have lost the €3,500 indicated by the witnesses' carefully-produced figures. What would the net cost be were the committee to accept that first recommendation?