Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Brady, absolutely everything I have said or not said, have done or not done and event I have been to or not been to in the past three years has been attributed to my leadership campaign. I will be glad at least in the next few weeks when that nonsense comes to an end.

The Deputy may have to accept at some point that I may actually say things I believe and do things I think are right. The Deputy may not agree with what I say but I do believe it. The Deputy may not support what I do but I think these measures are the right thing to do. That has always been my guiding principle.

We have had this discussion before. People may well be required by contract or even by law to retire from a particular job but nobody is required to retire. It is possible to take up other employment and lots of people do. We know lots of people who have retired from a job and then work part-time or who become consultants. Garda or Army people who retired in their 50s have taken up other jobs as well. The solution is not to reintroduce the State transition pension but to ensure that people can continue in their job beyond the age of 65 years and that is why the Workplace Relations Commission's ruling is very important. Deputy Brady has a Bill that strengthens the law further in that area.