Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I did my bit for it, as did Senator O'Rourke.

Ireland, with its new found wealth and relatively young population, still has sufficient time and opportunities to plan and structure a pensions system. As I noted, philosophical issues arise in this context, which is the reason I am interested in hearing the views of Senators and Deputies on pensions policy. There are those, including the organisation to which I referred and Members of both Houses, who take the view that it is not the responsibility of the State to ensure everyone has a pension. This view holds that it is the responsibility of employees to provide for themselves and no one else has any significant responsibility in this regard. There are also those who take a contrary view, namely, that it the responsibility of employees, employers and the State, in a three way partnership, to ensure every citizen has a decent income in his or her retirement years.

Notwithstanding the facts and figures, the issues at the heart of the pensions debate are philosophical in nature. This is not just taking place in Ireland but also around the world and I am keenly interested in the views of Senators on this central issue. To what extent do the State and the taxpayer insure people have an income or to what degree do we leave it to people themselves? It is a philosophical as well as a practical discussion.