David Norris (Independent)

Yes. They do not realize they may have family commitments or fall into a poverty trap. A great many people are outside the pension system except for the State pension, which can be a great burden to them. It is not easy to live on the State pension.

Over the past year or two, a couple of specific matters have been drawn to my attention. The first is Army pensions, which may be only marginally relevant to the debate. We ought, as a matter of principle, move away from the mean-minded, cheese-paring attitude which leads us to subtract the old age pension from other State pensions. It is neither fair nor right. I remember raising on the Adjournment the matter of a postgraduate student at Trinity College who on being awarded a scholarship to complete a PhD had the amount subtracted from his local authority allowance for being blind. It is not the way to encourage people to work but rather to encourage laziness. People will take State benefits if they see no point in acting when their intellectual initiatives are discouraged.

A similar scenario has developed in the context of Army pensions. I received a letter last Christmas.