Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is no compulsory retirement age in Ireland so there is no law saying that anyone has to retire at a particular age. However, for some people, their contracts with their employers require that they retire at 65. Many, though not all, of those people are public servants. The interdepartmental group has already produced its report, which was published some months ago before the summer recess but, in my view, it was unsatisfactory in terms of providing an actual solution to this issue. My strong view is that at the very least for public employees, those who are now required to retire at 65 should not be required to do so. We should bring the age up to 66 and 67 in 2021. I have conveyed that view to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and it is under discussion between the two of us. We cannot interfere in the contracts between private citizens and their private employers but I would have thought that at the very least for our employees in the public sector, we should make that change.

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