Ms Orla O'Connor:

I thank members for their contributions and comments. A number of speakers referred to the changes made in 2012. This is a red line issue for us in the budget and we urge members to make it a red line issue for them because it has a direct impact on the money women have. Deputy Mitchell asked what was the impact of the changes on women. Many women feel a sense of injustice about the changes and the lack of recognition for all of their contribution, including the substantial savings they have made for the State through the care they have provided. In addition to the financial aspects of this issue, there is a real sense of personal injustice. The changes must be reversed and there is an opportunity to achieve this in the current Dáil. I urge Opposition parties to make this a priority.

Deputy O'Dea asked a question about the homemaker's scheme. For our part, the National Women's Council of Ireland views this as an intermediate measure because the ideal would be a universal State pension. I am conscious and appreciative of the work Fianna Fáil has done in consistently raising the issue of backdating.

It is one we think should be put back on the agenda. However, it is an intermediate one because we want to move to that universal State pension. I apologise but we will have to come back to the Deputy on the issues surrounding the non-contributory because I do not have them in front of me. I am absolutely happy to come back on it. My colleague, Ms Eilís Ní Chaithnía, will pick up on the universal pension.

Senator Higgins asked about taxation and the wider issue of the third pillar. It is critical to note that all of the evidence is that a private pensions system, whether it is mandatory or opt-in or opt-out, will discriminate against women. International evidence and the research we did in 2006 shows that there is no private pensions system that recognises care. There is a reality that women will be doing more care work than men into the future. No private system will do that. It can only be linked to a State system to recognise the care work that is done, hopefully equally by women and men into the future but right now by women. One of the issues that is always raised in relation to this is the cost. In terms of looking at the cost, we must also look at the cost in terms of providing State full-time care for a person that women are providing, particularly relatives and also people with disabilities. When we look at the cost, we need to look at the wider costs. That is why pensions reform must adapt the PRSI system. There are other countries with models which we have set out where the state contributes into that system for the periods of care so that a person gets the credits.

On the taxation issue, we have advocated to standard-rate it over a series of budgets and to look at questioning in the long term whether one provides tax relief for private pensions, because that is clearly benefiting a small section of the population that is definitely up there in the higher incomes. It is definitely discriminatory against women. One of the most important things for this budget is the changes in 2012. We concluded our presentation with the issue of gender budgeting as this is a key area of policy reform which must be looked at in terms of gender equity because we have such an unequal system at the moment.