Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact that the Bill has come before the Dáil today. We support the principle of it. As Sinn Féin has made clear many times, we support the full abolition of the mandatory retirement age as we believe that the manner and duration of a person's labour should be decided by that person and that person alone, and not be based upon a decision of an employer. If a worker wishes to use his or her labour beyond the age of 65, that is his or her right. The Bill is consistent with this position but the implications of its provisions are inconsistent with the spirit of the Employment Equality (Abolition of Mandatory Retirement Age) Bill which Sinn Féin brought before the Dáil and which would lead to the abolition of the mandatory retirement age across all sectors, not just the public sector. Last year, the Citizens' Assembly voted on this matter and 86% of its members were in favour of abolishing the mandatory retirement age. The Bill demonstrates tentative progress toward that end by increasing the mandatory age of retirement.

The Bill also closes an unjustifiable gap in the current arrangement whereby public servants recruited before 2004 are forced to retire at the age of 65 but only gain access to the contributory State pension at the age of 66. What is proposed has obvious implications for that cohort. As we know, this gap is set to grow as the age at which the contributory State pension can be accessed is to increase from 67 in 2021 to 68 in 2028, with the possibility of it being extended further beyond those years. In light of this, we welcome the move to close this gap in the Bill, which also responds to the challenges of an ageing society by allowing workers to work longer.

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The structure of our society is changing. We have an older population. People are healthier for longer as a result of medical advances and lifestyle. It is only logical that our public sector reflects this trend by allowing people to work irrespective of age.

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