Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

Will the Minister of State tell the person who wrote this reply on his behalf that the last paragraph on the first page is the only one which refers to my question? It states, "the suggestion now appears to be that we should pay people, in some way, not to draw it down." The way that paragraph is worded is extremely disingenuous. I am asking that the same tax incentive be given to people who leave the lump sum in place as to those who draw it down. If we give a tax incentive to a person who draws it down, why not give it to a person who decides to leave it in place? I would like that message to go back to the Minister.

The way the reply is worded is disingenuous. However, with regard to pensions, that type of response from the Department of Finance is common.

I thank the Minister of State for his reply.