Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The idea of a total contributions approach, or TCA, to State pensions dates back to 2007, when the then Government published the Green Paper on Pensions to stimulate debate on the challenges and the options for the future development of Ireland's pension system. This included the policy to introduce the TCA model. The consultation process was lengthy, thorough and inclusive and involved regional seminars, a national conference and consultation meetings with sectoral interests, as well as many written submissions. The consultation informed the development of the 2010 national pensions framework, which set out the policy to introduce the TCA, indeed by Deputy O'Dea's party, which was in government at that stage. This approach was subsequently endorsed by the OECD in its review of the Irish pension system in 2013.

As the Government intends to introduce the TCA from 2020, I launched a public consultation on its design on 28 May.

This consultation is not about the policy concept or rationale, which has been well thought out, but the design and implementation of the TCA. My Department invited a range of sectoral interest groups and the media to the formal launch at which we provided, I hope, an informative presentation. More important, we hosted a series of workshops on the various aspects of the proposed reform and there was also a separate briefing for Members of the Oireachtas and their staff. The consultation was hosted on the Department's website and it was open to everyone to submit responses and make submissions.

The consultation lasted for over three months and we received almost 300 responses by the time it closed on 3 September. These responses are being examined and considered and we will publish a summary of the outcomes on the Department's website when that work is completed, and I will also let the Deputy know the details. The initial analysis shows the main areas of concern to respondents include the number of contributions required to receive a full pension, the amount of credited contributions that will be available and whether there should be a phase-in period for its introduction.

I thank all those who made submissions. I was at pains to ensure we did not just get representative bodies replying in an official capacity, given that is their job. I was keen to hear from the people who will be affected by this. In the main, we have received a substantial number of submissions from them and I am grateful for their co-operation.

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