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

As the Deputy will be aware, the usual practice is that a social welfare Bill is brought before the Oireachtas each year, in spring or early summer, to provide a legal basis within the social welfare code for policy, administrative and operational changes that may be required.

My Department is developing the heads of a Bill which will address legislative needs in a number of operational areas within the Department. When this work is completed, I will seek the approval of Government to publish the general scheme of the Bill and to proceed to drafting the legislation with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. At this stage, I envisage that the general scheme of the Bill will be published and sent for pre-legislative scrutiny to the Joint Committee on Social Protection some time in April.

While I cannot comment at this stage if the Bill will contain measures to change the law governing defined benefit schemes, I will in the near future bring forward some of my own proposals, carefully thought out and fully analysed, to help alleviate some of the difficulties currently being experienced by defined benefit schemes and their members.

This year, I have confirmed an intention to develop, publish and commence the implementation of an action plan for the reform of pensions. Over the coming months, I intend to set out a roadmap which will include the rationalisation and reform of the pension landscape, the transposition of the EU directive IORP 2, institutions for occupational retirement provision, and the design of a universal retirement savings platform for all working people.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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