Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

I agree with the views expressed by Senator McDowell and Senator O'Toole. There is no good reason for discriminating between current and new civil servants in this regard. As Senator O'Toole correctly pointed out, the capacity of the individual to continue to do the job effectively should be the criterion applied, perhaps on an annual basis, beyond the age of 65 years.

However, I recall a time when the country's economic fortunes were not as good as they have been in the past decade and we were encouraging people to retire early to generate job opportunities for young people. Hopefully, the economy will continue as it is but if that problem were to emerge in the future, it would be a sensible mechanism to use. I concur with what has been said subject to the caveat that if economic circumstances in the future indicate that it would be a more pragmatic and beneficial policy to implement a compulsory retirement age of 65, the Government would have the discretion to reintroduce it.