Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I reiterate that that has been changed. If someone reaches the age of 65 and is going to retire, he or she must fill out one form and that is it. He or she will not be asked to sign on again and will receive the payment for the full 12 months prior to reaching the pension age at 66. That is an improvement.

Nevertheless, I accept what the Deputy is saying. For people who have worked all their lives, it was unfair that they had to sign on for jobseeker's allowance. That has been changed and such people will now be able to get that payment for a full 12 months. They do not have to be actively looking for work.

The pension age is currently 66. As I said earlier, we will be setting up a commission on pensions. This is a complex area. The commission on pensions will review the whole matter and I will then bring a report to the Government.

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