Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This has opened up an interesting debate. There is a long way to go on this, and if anyone tries to rush it, the committee has to stand firm and look at every angle. We are putting a lot of money aside for 32 years' time. Many things can go wrong in that timescale, even things people think they have legislated against. There is an attraction with putting in now and the State paying out later, but we have to think deeply on this.

The only one that held up during the crisis was the State pension. I am not talking about going back to having only a flat rate. People have to have the opportunity to invest their income and should be incentivised to do it. The question is who should do it and on what basis. Is there a logic to paying in today and so on? Is that how we should support it? We have to do a study. I suggest the Vice Chairman mention to the Chair that it might be worth our while getting people in from the Nordics and the European model. In many other areas, we have decided we are European Union members rather than British Commonwealth members and have moved away from the common law system and the old empire ideas. We should look at the European model here. One thing I learned in Departments is that they always put out consultation papers but usually have an idea and fixate from the beginning on where they are going. Believe you me, I am a long time at it.