James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Minister of State's response but it does not really answer my question. I acknowledge that it is not his Department or role and that the response is from the Minister, Deputy Donohoe. I have here the forms for the supplementary pension allowance application. They include a statement from the applicant indicating that he or she understands it will be necessary to provide documentary evidence for the continued payment of the supplementary pension each year until the contributory State pension becomes payable. That is just wrong. It does not fit and it is not right. We need to acknowledge that if someone has given his or her career to working in the health service or in different roles in the Civil Service, that condition is a little unreasonable.

It comes down to personal dignity. Many of those who have been so fortunate to have remained in employment throughout their career, and I recognise that not everybody is so lucky, take great pride in that. People who have spent their careers in the health service do not want to have to queue in a social welfare office to provide documentary evidence that they are no longer in employment.

There are other parts of the form with which I fundamentally disagree. This was only properly brought to my attention recently. As a young man in education, I did not know this was in place but I would like to see it being changed. I recognise that to change systems in Revenue or the Department of Social Protection is complex and they are not always as easy to fix as people may think but changing this would mean a lot to many people who have retired. They are still alive and kicking and have only entered into their retirement in their 60s and 70s. I would love to see the system being changed. I hope the Minister of State will be so kind as to bring that message to the Ministers for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and Social Protection.

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