Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I accept that pensions and the development of a long-term pension strategy are significant issues requiring to be addressed. The consultation process runs until the end of this month. A major forum will be held at the end of this month in Dublin Castle following which all ideas will be brought together. I should point out, however, that there is no consistency of approach in the submissions received to date. I do not for one minute imagine this will be an easy issue to tackle. However, it is an issue to which I will afford priority.

It is also worth mentioning, given that Deputy Broughan mentioned the £100 pension, that the contributory old age pension now stands at €223.30 per week and the qualified adult pension is €200. Also, the non-contributory pension is €212 per week while a qualified adult receives €140 per week. This illustrates the Government's commitment during the past few years to ensuring——

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