Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This legislation is long awaited and much needed for bereaved partners who have been discriminated against for a long time. While it is very welcome, it is regrettable that it took a grieving partner to take a court case to make this change happen and recognise the changing make-up of modern families and relationships. We know that many couples choose to live together without formalising their union through marriage. This choice does not diminish the love, the commitment and the partnership that these couples share. Many build their lives together, sharing financial responsibilities, raising children and supporting one another through thick and thin. It is only fair that they are afforded the same protections and benefits as married couples, particularly in times of grief and loss.

When a person passes away, the surviving partner faces significant emotional and financial challenges. Denying them access to the pension is an additional burden during an already painful time. This week I spoke to one of my constituents who has been affected by this. She lost her partner a couple of years ago. They had been together for 16 years and they were a couple until the day he died. She says she felt like a nobody after he died - it was as if the relationship did not matter because there was no recognition of it. She said it is tough to be classed as a nobody on top of all the grief and emotional trauma of having to come to terms with her partner's death. Had she got the pension, she could have worked part time. As she could not, the only option for her at 63 years of age was to claim jobseeker's payment. The household income was slashed completely and she no longer has a secure income. She even lost the household benefits package when her partner died. Above all else, she wants the Government to get this Bill enacted as soon as possible to provide for the pension that she needs and deserves.

Deputy O'Reilly outlined a number of changes to the legislation that should be examined, including ones affecting certain separated partners and I hope the Minister will take these on board and work constructively. In particular, expanding retrospection to before January 2024 must be considered. This discrimination against bereaved partners did not start on that date. It existed long before that and families were impacted financially before the O'Meara judgment. Some of them have endured severe financial hardship, had to give up work and so on, and this should be acknowledged. It only applies to a small number of people as was said.

The legislation is welcome but we need it enacted quickly. Too many people are being left in precarious financial situations, struggling to make ends meet without the support they need. We need to ease the pressure on these people, get the legislation enacted as quickly as possible and ensure a compassionate approach to support for people awaiting the enactment.

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