Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I looked at the amendment. Forgive me if I am being a little pedantic. It is just to seek clarity. It states, "aggregate statistical data relating to participation in the automatic enrolment retirement savings system". That is fine and self-evident. It also states, "statistical data relating to the types of investments held by AE provider schemes". To me, that reads like you can have statistical data about the types of investment, that is, the categories of investment. If you invested in Nestlé, for instance, the category is confectionary and food, but you might not necessarily name the company in which you hold the investment. Does this amendment include a provision whereby the Minister will notify the public as to exactly where investments are made, including identification of the company, the financial institution or wherever it is? If we are talking about ethics, ethical investments and moving away from arms and fossil fuels, there are many corporates in which funds like this might invest which have activities such as mining palm oil in certain parts of the globe or adding to desertification as part of their remit.

How transparent does the amendment intend to be? How far will it go in being transparent with the public about what it seeks to do? The Minister can talk about categories of investments. That is all well and good if it is categorised into food, financial services or industries such as aeronautical or automotive, but if it is not telling you the companies in which investment is being made, it does not amount to a hill of beans.

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