Séamus Healy (Tipperary, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Private Members' motion and commend Deputy Brady on bringing it forward. It is a very important motion which requires urgent action on the State pension and private pensions. The changes in recent years to the State pension have clearly impacted negatively and disproportionately on women and has also forced retiring workers onto jobseeker's payment because of the abolition of the State pension transition. It is instructive that during this debate we have not heard from the Labour Party, which introduced the various changes that have impacted negatively on pensioners. It is instructive it has not taken the opportunity to speak on the motion.

The question of how women have been impacted by the State pension is raised on a regular basis. At my clinics I receive regular requests from women with regard to this area. It is a question that needs to be addressed formally, quickly and urgently. We have effective discrimination against women who chose to remain at home for a period of time to look after and rear their families.

Another area is State pension transition, which has been abolished, forcing workers to retire aged 65 while not qualifying for a pension until they are aged 66. They are forced onto jobseeker's allowance for the interim 12 months and that is going to get worse in future years because the State pension age will increase to 68 and then to 70 over a period of time. Those two areas need to be addressed urgently.

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