Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

Deputy Fleming is proposing a form of sharing work, particularly among those who might wish to slow down as they get older. The public service already offers generous facilities in terms of jobsharing and family friendly hours. In the context of our current economic difficulties and the costs that would arise, we will need exit the troika programme before we can go further than that. We will also have to ensure that people contribute over a sufficient period of their working lives to build up pension entitlements. The enormous increase in life expectancy in Ireland means that the population of older people will slowly but surely grow. We have to balance one with the other.

See this speech in context