Dan Boyle (Green Party)

When the old age pension was first introduced in 1908 by David Lloyd George, it was seen as a progressive measure. It was, undoubtedly, the first political statement on these islands — Ireland was part of that jurisdiction then — of governmental intent on looking after the needs of older people in society. It can be argued that it was cynically introduced as the eligibility age for the pension was actually higher than average life expectancy at the time. The political argument was that a gesture had been made to look after the needs of older people in society but at little cost to the public purse.