John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There are no costings whatsoever. It appears in a small byline without costings. Fianna Fáil did not even see fit to raise the reversal of the 2012 changes with the Taoiseach or the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, during the deliberations on budget 2018, despite its protests to the contrary. Mentioning the issue somewhere along the line, which is what appears to have happened from the conversation with the Taoiseach, clearly shows what Fianna Fáil thinks of it in terms of its priorities. This is little more than a political stunt by it as it only chose to highlight the issue after it was brought to media attention last week.

The Government amendment refers to a total contributions approach. This will have no impact whatsoever on existing State pension recipients. I read with interest an article in The Irish Timestoday which claims that the change would only apply to new entrants to the workforce from 2020. The Minister needs to explain that. If it is the case that it will only apply to new entrants into the workforce from 2020, it will have serious implications.

The Government's amendment will do nothing for the 35,000 older people on reduced pensions because of the changes implemented by Fine Gael and the Labour Party in government in 2012 which were rammed through the Dáil without debate. Any debate on the matter was guillotined in this Chamber on both Second Stage and Report Stage. There was an absolute knowledge of the implications, particularly for females in the State hitting retirement age.

The motion is not only opportunistic on the part of Fianna Fáil but it also shows a real contempt for older people who are being punished disgracefully. We brought forward a motion last year and Fianna Fáil refused to support it. However, we have tabled an amendment to the motion and hope it will be passed. We will do anything and everything we can to end the discrimination, even if it means supporting Fianna Fáil's motion. If the motion is passed, what exactly will Fianna Fáil do? Will it sit on its hands again and do nothing, as it has done so many times, or will it seek to have it enacted and hold the Government to account to ensure the changes will be brought forward straightaway to end the discrimination against older citizens with immediate effect.

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