David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister for his response. Does he agree that it appears that the international human rights standards, such as the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Code of Social Security, have not been respected entirely in this matter? Does he agree that the advanced age of a person alone should not exclude him or her from entitlement to the State pension?

Is the Minister aware of the submissions of other organisations, such as the IFA's pre-budget submission of 2007, which expresses concern over the treatment of a relatively small group of self-employed people who were between the ages of 60 and 65 in April 1998? Will he state how many persons were affected adversely such that they could receive no benefits in spite of their having had to make contributions? What are his personal views and when does he or his Department expect to receive a report from the ILO on the matter?

My main point concerns the human rights standard. Does the Minister agree with the IHRC's recommendation that a reduced benefit be paid to self-employed people who contributed to the social insurance scheme but did not qualify for the pension only because of their age when the legislation came into force? Does he agree that this policy is ageist and should be reviewed? How many individuals are affected?

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