Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I do not disagree with Deputy Cowen in regard to the length of time it has taken to get here. That is why I am appreciative of the fact the committee has met today and that we will try to get Report Stage finished next week. We do not want a situation where it slips into January and another group of people who will retire at the end of December find themselves in the same situation.

The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, sends his apologies that he cannot be present. It was made clear at the time, as everybody would accept, that the interim arrangements were just that - interim - until such time as we had enabling legislation enacted. I go back to my previous point. There is a group of people who, in recent months, did not avail of the interim arrangements because of what was said at the time, namely, that they were just interim arrangements. If we are now proposing to reverse engines, where does that leave those who did not avail of the interim arrangements, where does it leave the pension contributions that have been paid, where does it leave Revenue and where does it leave those people's point on the scale? There are many questions.

To be fair, the Deputies have engaged on this. We will discuss Deputy Cowen's amendment later. The Minister is prepared to accept in principle the suggestion that Deputy Cowen has made but, in doing so, to point out that this may require legislative remedies.