Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am disappointed that the Deputy's party saw fit to raise the age to 66 years in Northern Ireland and voted for it. The Deputy did not even respond to that point. That is what Sinn Féin did. It is just hypocrisy and double standards. Historically, Fianna Fáil was responsible for significant increases in the State pension down through the decades, particularly in the late 1990s and early 2000s when very substantial increases happened. Successive Governments have done that, with the result that the Republic has strong State pensions in comparison with other jurisdictions. We need to improve if we can but we must have sustainability underpinning that as well. That is why the Pensions Commission has been established. As I said, the State pension age has been at 66 years since 1977. That is the reality. We need to change a broad range of areas around pensions and the Pensions Commission will bring forward a range of recommendations to respond to people's needs in this area.

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