Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I welcome the Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025, which essentially proposes to allow flexibility to employees regarding the ability to work on until they reach the State pension age. Aontú has raised this important issue on a number of occasions. Currently, as the Minister of State rightly recognises, the system is deeply flawed. It essentially forces people into an income gap from the age of 65 until they can receive their State pension at the age of 66. It is demoralising for people who have worked all their lives until the age of 65 to be told to join the dole queue. I am pleased that this situation will be addressed in this legislation. Age Action Ireland estimates that 4,000 people each year throughout the State find themselves in this situation. It is the most common case in the WRC under age grounds. We certainly welcome the Bill.

In regard to the outline of the Bill, I fully acknowledge that it provides a degree of flexibility to the employee where the employee is able to stay on, and that is a good thing. We have a skills shortage in many different areas. The case of school bus drivers mentioned by Deputy Stanley is just one instance. There is a huge shortage across County Mayo as well. I welcome the opportunity for people to be able to stay in employment. It is very welcome indeed.

I have a few questions about the implications of this. Will the individual will be able to continue to make pension contributions? Will the employer make the contributions as normal up to the age of 66? Will it affect the death in service payment?

While we are talking about pensions, I would like to mention another crucial aspect of pensions in the State. I refer to women's pensions, particularly women who stay at home and care for children or for elderly parents. The data suggests that when women retire, they receive on average 35% less than their male counterparts due to pay, career duration, career breaks, childcare and so on. Aontú believes women should not be penalised for doing wonderful work in the home, caring for the next generation of Irish citizens. The Royal London Ireland research centre suggests that the value of caring in the home and running the home is in the region of €57,000 a year. Yet the State does not recognise the contribution in the way it should. Women who stay at home are without question penalised during their caregiving years but also in terms of their pensions. I have some suggestions for the Minister of State and I would be grateful if she could consider them. It is time we introduced a scheme for caregiving years for women who take time out of their working lives to care for children. Those contributions should be made by the Department of Social Protection.

It is also important that we have more flexibility around pension schemes. We should allow carers the opportunity to contribute in a voluntary capacity when they are able and when they are back in employment. The catch-up opportunities currently are far too narrow. We need to broaden them and provide those tax incentives and tax reliefs for women.

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