Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

I have a concern over the timeframe involved. The Minister's predecessor gave a commitment that proposals would be ready to be brought to Government before the budget at the end of this year. The Minister seems to be moving away from that commitment and I ask her to clarify the position. Does the Minister accept we cannot continue with the very unfair tax-based reliefs system that very much favours the better off? We need to move away from that quickly and ensure a comprehensive pension policy to cover all people irrespective of incomes. When talking about establishing a framework for the future, would the Minister envisage proposals being brought to Government in time to be included in this year's budget?

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