Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I call for a debate on the issue of aging and ageism, with particular reference to the mandatory retirement age of 65 years. The individual, whose name I will not repeat will, at 72 years of age, bring tremendous experience to chairing the Road Safety Authority. I support the comments made by Senator Norris on pensions. In my research on ageism and aging, I noted from a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, that 27% of Irish people over 65 years of age live on a wage below the poverty line. The OECD report considers living on a weekly earning below €185 as poverty. Our non-contributory pension, to which Senator Norris referred, is €182 per week. Some 120,000 people over 65 years of age are, according to the OECD, living in poverty.