Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

There are many different areas, such as disability and care. This has been made possible because we have such a strong economy and because we have such high employment. The debate has started — I welcome the Deputy's views on it — because I published the report and the other report along with the Green Paper on pensions. That is a very important debate that we will have to hold as a society and not just as Government and Opposition. The debate must be about the next 40 years and about the basis of pension contributions, about how private and public pensions are to be funded and about whether the onus on young people entering the workforce should be obligatory or not. These issues need to be resolved as we look forward.

Some of our other European counterparts have now entered this phase and have a serious issue with regard to pensions. We have a short window of opportunity to resolve this pensions issue. That will colour judgments on how the social insurance fund will be sourced and funded over the next few decades.

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