John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)

That the fund has now grown to €12 billion confirms the wisdom of the then Minister for Finance, former Deputy McCreevy, when he introduced it. It is confirmed by the statement that five people are now working for every one pensioner, which ratio will have fallen to two to one by the middle of the century. Many people who are now working will be very grateful for the fact that the Minister for Finance at the time introduced the fund because money will be available to meet those pension needs. In that context, I request a debate on pensions in general and how people need to provide for their needs, rather than one specifically about the fund.