Why do TDs such as Pat Breen continuously just reproduce material given to them by the Dept of Employment Affairs and Social Welfare. Anyone who has been affected by the pension anomaly will already have read this material many times in answer to letters sent to Government Ministers or TDs. Let me assure Pat Breen TD that the current rate bands do not "provide pensions to people that are more generous than strictly proportionate with their level of contribution". I will retire with a yearly average of 39.4 year (2048 total contributions at A rate) and also have over 6 contributions at a modified rate. I will retire next year on the 3rd band rate while someone with just 520 contributions over 10 years will retire on a full contributory pension. He may well think that this is just but I most definitely do not. How can this be considered equal treatment of everyone retiring when the averaging system gives different results depending on when you are considered to have 1st entered the workforce. I would do better under a total contributions scheme but it is highly unlikely that I will be allowed a reassessment in 2020 as pension changes have never been treated retrospectively despite what the Minister Doherty implied at the Select Committee on Social Protection on the 9th November.
Monica Condron
Posted on 7 Dec 2017 9:42 pm
Why do TDs such as Pat Breen continuously just reproduce material given to them by the Dept of Employment Affairs and Social Welfare. Anyone who has been affected by the pension anomaly will already have read this material many times in answer to letters sent to Government Ministers or TDs. Let me assure Pat Breen TD that the current rate bands do not "provide pensions to people that are more generous than strictly proportionate with their level of contribution". I will retire with a yearly average of 39.4 year (2048 total contributions at A rate) and also have over 6 contributions at a modified rate. I will retire next year on the 3rd band rate while someone with just 520 contributions over 10 years will retire on a full contributory pension. He may well think that this is just but I most definitely do not. How can this be considered equal treatment of everyone retiring when the averaging system gives different results depending on when you are considered to have 1st entered the workforce. I would do better under a total contributions scheme but it is highly unlikely that I will be allowed a reassessment in 2020 as pension changes have never been treated retrospectively despite what the Minister Doherty implied at the Select Committee on Social Protection on the 9th November.