Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the opportunity to address this question. In April when the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and I met the Deputy and representatives to discuss her Bill, the representatives of various retired persons associations expressed their concerns about the protections in place for people who were already in receipt of pensions. At that meeting, I was informed that these representatives had not yet had any contact with the Department of Social Protection, which has policy responsibility for pensions policy. Therefore, the Minister contacted the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, about the pensions issues raised at the meeting and then wrote to her and requested that her officials consider arranging a meeting about them. Given that the proposed meeting was to have been between the Deputy's group and the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, I am unsure as to whether it has taken place.

Regarding the Bill, I would like to be clear that I did not refer it to the Department of Social Protection. In any case, it remains my view and that of my Department, as discussed at our meeting, that the Bill is fundamentally misconceived in that it is proposed that, in addition to employers and workers, a third category of "retired persons" would have access to industrial relations bodies. Our policy is clear in that industrial relations are a matter for people who are active in the workplace. I am not aware of any other country where retired persons have access to industrial relations bodies.

To underline the point, the Bill has not been referred to the Department of Social Protection. That Department was merely brought into the conversation.

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