Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am not holding any script because I believe strongly in the social insurance principle. I have said to the Senator, and it may be news to Sinn Féin, that all the parties in this House down the years have supported the creation of a strong pension framework for older people which comprises two parts from the point of view of the social welfare system, a social insurance-based contributory system and if there are not enough contributions to that system, there will not be enough to pay out, and, second, a very strong non-contributory payment which is means tested for people of insufficient means and who have not contributed to the system.

This change was laid down in 1997 and at that time there was a degree of foresight in ensuring that our social insurance system would be maintained. That makes a lot of sense. For further reading a couple of months ago we published the actuarial review of the Social Insurance Fund which strongly suggested that not only should we be doing things like this but we should be increasing the level of contributions to ensure that as many people as possible are covered for their retirement with a reasonable, decent old age pension. These significant achievements are a tribute to successive Governments. In the context of this Bill that is one reason I have emphasised so strongly the importance of the core weekly social welfare payment to contributors.