John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Before I call on colleagues for their questions, I have a general question for Mr. Kennedy. The heads of the Bill have been published and there is a clear intention. Is there a timeliness to this being done? In other words, are there negative consequences from the Bill now that what is going to be done on defined benefit pensions has been flagged?

IBEC set out a case on moving from a voluntary to a mandatory scheme. Has any financial analysis been carried out in respect of the additional cost to the providers of those schemes, that is, the companies IBEC represents? Does Mr. Kennedy have an indication of what that might mean in financial terms? I ask him to address those questions and I will then call colleagues for questions.