Ms Roma Burke:

A couple of pieces of legislation are coming into the discussion here. It is probably worth reminding the committee that the focus of the Pensions Council work is the Pensions Act. That is in the realm of supplementary pensions, namely, saving for retirement through an occupational arrangement or personal retirement savings account, PRSA. PRSI is important. It provides a person with a range of benefits both while working and after retirement age when they becomes eligible for a State pension. It is not directly related to the council's work but there are certainly valid comments coming out of today's discussion. I will relay the Senator's comments to the Department and make sure that he gets a comprehensive response on the status of both PRSI class K and the status of PRSI after 65 years.