Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ministers of State, Deputy Helen McEntee and Deputy Seán Canney, for being present. As Deputy John Curran said, the crux of the issue has not been addressed and we must thank Sinn Féin for bringing the motion to the House. I also thank Deputy Willie O’Dea for drawing up the Fianna Fáil amendment.

I am no different to many other Deputies and I have clinics in my office on a weekly basis. Women have come before me and at first I did not understand what they were talking about. I did not think something like that could have happened, that the averaging system could have been introduced. Likewise, I found it hard to understand that it was another woman who introduced the change in 2012. It is quite shocking to think one could start working at the age of 16, take a couple of years out to rear one’s children and then go back to work until retirement age but not be entitled to a pension. In those days there were no child care facilities. If one did not have family support, one had to do it oneself. Those people thought they would be entitled to a full pension when they came to retirement age but, regrettably, the averaging system was introduced and that affected such women adversely.

It is not the amount in most cases that is at issue, it is the principle that is at stake. The problem is the denial of equality to a person's entitlement to a full pension. In most of the cases I have come across the money lost is between €18 and €23 per week. It is not €50, €60 or even €70. It seems like a small amount of money but I do not deny that over time it adds up to a lot. In many cases the women who came to me had not raised the issue previously or even spoken about it. They were mortified to bring it up. They were a little bit embarrassed. However, as more women are coming across the issue online and discussing it over a cup of coffee they are becoming quite irate. They feel rejected by the fact the Governments to which they paid their tax and PRSI through the years singled them out.

Why were they taken advantage of and why did they pull the short straw? We are talking mainly about women, but in some cases men took years out to mind a bachelor uncle. As Deputy Willie O'Dea said, some of them were far too proud to sign on. In fact, some of the ladies in question did not know they could have signed on. If they had, they would have qualified. We did not have the Internet nd great communication skills at the time and the people concerned were disenfranchised. As a female, it is regrettable that only I have a voice to represent the people who have been sidelined and feel let down. It is very important that we discuss this issue and it must be more than a discussion. Something concrete must be done in 2017. At the very least, there must be engagement about reviewing the entire process. It is disappointing that the Minister left the discussion. This sends a very negative message that he is not prepared to engage, that he is not listening and that he does not want to hear about the inequalities of the past, but we are not talking about a time ten or 20 years ago but three years ago. If it is being said we are ready for recovery, it has to be built on the efforts of those who built the State. They include the women who stayed at home to rear and educate their children when they were receiving no other support from the State. I spoke to one lady who had started work at the age of 16 years, taken a number of years out and had 1,016 credits, double the amount required, but she is still €28 short.

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