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

I cannot say what the Deputy has asked me to say because it is not true. Although there are no guarantees in life and obviously anything could happen between now and 2020, the Government's ambition is to start up contributions in 2020 and that has not changed. We cannot rule out something happening next month or next year, but that is the ambition and that is the roadmap we are working towards.

Many submissions were made for a variety of options to be included and we are looking at all of them. I hope what we will provide to Cabinet to rubber-stamp, hopefully, will be all encompassing. I do not want to discount anybody's contribution during their lifetime of work. I do not just mean work outside the home; I also mean to give people a lift or a step-up to include all the work they do inside the home. Although I am not in a position to tell the Deputy what the final outcome will look like, my aim is to ensure the system will work for generations to come, will be fair and equitable and will take into account everybody's contribution to society, both inside and outside the home.

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