Mr. Adrian Kane:

Deputy Kerrane also asked a question about the pension settlement. The pension settlement in respect of the community employment supervisors is less than satisfactory, and that is to use parliamentary language. After 14 years, people were worn down and we accepted what we got, which is essentially the gratuity that looked very much like statutory redundancy. It is not a pension scheme; that is the reality. We are looking for a pension scheme. This opens the door in that the Department came up with some moneys to address the matter but we are not going to be fobbed off with the idea that the third tier of pensions will come in.

I am very concerned about the uncertain economic space ahead of us. This matter is typically pushed down for another number of years. We are certainly looking for a pension scheme. If it is good enough for community employment supervisors to have something resembling a pension scheme, we need something along those lines.