Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

From the dependency ratios published by the Minister, we will move from six workers for every dependant to two workers for every dependant. The Minister has already envisaged that the costs of pensions will double. The irresistible force and the immovable object are at stake here. These are trends that will cause major problems. While the Minister talks about reviews and funds, I do not see the plan or strategy to deal with this. The pension fund will be capped at a certain stage and will start to pay out. It will not be there forever as a bottomless pit to meet growing obligations. There must be some direction coming from Government on what we will do.

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