James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

I hear what the Deputy is saying. The core principle of sustainable social protection systems in advanced economies is that citizens receive benefits in proportion to their contributions. This has been always part of our pension system and changes to State pension provision which were announced recently put an increased emphasis on this as the system had not maintained a sufficient link between contributions and payments. We will always continue to provide the normal supports to those who cannot, for whatever reason, continue working or find themselves in financial difficulty. In this regard, the Deputy may wish to note that in 2011, almost half of those who received the contributory State pension were already on a social welfare payment before they reached pension age. For those with an income need, social welfare schemes will continue to be available for those who fulfil the eligibility criteria. The Government and the Minister for Social Protection are determined to defend and protect our State pension as the cornerstone of a secure and comfortable old age and the changes to State pension provision will go a long way towards this goal.

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