Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

That is not good enough. There is an issue, as the witnesses know, particularly with defined benefit pensions. Some pensions are in great health while others are not. The starting point is that people must be afforded information about the health or otherwise of the pension. They can then understand if decisions need to be made.

I would like to pick up on the proposal for a forum. Defined contribution pensions are different because there are only two parties in a defined contribution pension. If you were originally a contributor but are now a beneficiary, the two parties involved are the beneficiaries and the sponsoring employer. In defined benefit pensions, there are three parties: the contributors, who are the existing workers; the beneficiaries; and the sponsoring employer. When the witness spoke about a forum, did they mean one involving three parties or two parties? How do they see it working? Do they see pensions being taken out of the conventional industrial relations machinery or system within a particular firm?