Joe O'Toole (Independent)

For the past 15 years Europe has been trying to deal with the issue of pension liability in every estate. There has not been a year in the past 15 in which we have not examined it. Its importance was acknowledged by the Minister's own party in Government with the establishment of the National Pensions Reserve Fund to deal with these issues. It was also acknowledged by bringing in schemes to encourage employers and employees to set up pension schemes. There has been a European demand for portability which has been ignored effectively because portability does not exist, although we are moving more closely to it.

In terms of this section, the Minister cannot deny that it is a disincentive. The Minister appears to be uncomfortable with it also and that this has happened not in the way he precisely planned it but that is what the Seanad is about. The Seanad exists to have a second look at legislation.

Without getting involved in the debate about the rush to get the Bill through the House, I stated here last week and earlier that I do not like rushing legislation through the House but we can deal with this issue now, and all for the sake of calling back the Dáil tonight for ten minutes. A word will not be said against it anywhere.

There are two or three recommendations tabled about which it would be good from the Minister's point of view to acknowledge that they had merit. That would support the Minister's public position. He has said many times that it is in the course of debate in the Dáil and Seanad that issues emerge. He insisted that the Seanad would not meet until the weekend to allow him time to digest the issues that came up in the Dáil. We are here now. It would prove the Minister's point.