Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This does not make sense. I know what the Minister is saying. I think he is being wrongly advised by his own Department. Let us cut to the chase. I know the Minister is aware of this matter because he is very bright. I do not say that in a patronising way. His Department is stuck in a time warp. There is a pensions regulator who just collects levies. What did he do to protect the schemes? He should be dragged in here and made accountable for his actions. I am not on the social welfare committee but I know my colleagues will shortly drag him in and see what is going on. What did he do to protect the pension rights of these people? We had a very positive meeting with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. I might as well be honest with the Minister: we might not be able to wait for the Bill to come through but what worries me is that employers are beginning to welsh all over the place or are contemplating welshing without any need to do so. It is time we got to the bottom of this. I know the Minister is going about it, I accept his bona fides and I thank him for his offer of a stakeholder forum. It would be very important for ICTU, the pensions actuaries, the pensions representatives and everyone else to engage with the Department of Social Protection but I think that Department is stuck in a time warp. I think it gave the same advice to the Minister's predecessor and probably her predecessor, and it is time the Minister went outside this whole thing. Why is England, New Brunswick in Canada and everywhere else different from Ireland? What the heck is wrong with us?

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