Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not know whether the Minister is deliberately not listening or not understanding the point. When I say they were forced to leave the workforce, I am not referring to the marriage bar in the case of public servants. I am referring to women who, by the rules of society or the expectations of married women at the time, were forced to leave the workforce. They left and their contribution records stopped. The Minister raised the issue of averaging issue and I am glad to see that it will be looked at. The minimum number of contributions was changed during the term of the previous Government from five to ten years contributions. This has had a devastating impact on women and I am not speaking about civil or public servants who, by and large, have their own pensions. The women in question would do anything to receive the State pension of €230 a week, but they simply cannot receive it. In some cases, they may have land with a paper value, but it has no practical value for them and they do not qualify for a non-contributory pension. This is very much a women's issue and one of fairness. The women in question will have to be looked at. Many of them have just passed pension age because these rules were introduced in 2013, while others are approaching it. It affects a certain cohort of women who are in the older age bracket and who are being adversely affected.

See this speech in context