Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I do not propose to accept the amendment. All statutory guidance issued by the Pensions Board is updated as required, and there is very extensive and timely updating. Updates to existing guidance are actively being considered currently in the context of the changes I am introducing in the Bill. With regard to Senator Barrett's point about trustee training, there is a significant amount of this online. I do not know about courses such as the Trinity business degree and particularly whether there are options regarding the study of pensions. It is a very specialised area and the online training available for trustees is very structured and informative. It is a big obligation for anybody to take on the job of being a trustee.

I share Senator Barrett's concerns, but one needs trustees to represent ordinary members, as sometimes they spot issues that others would not. That is in addition to experts such as lawyers and actuaries. There is a small but very significant number of pension lawyers and actuaries. The Society of Actuaries and the Association of Pension Lawyers in Ireland have been very active in this debate, as well as fund managers and others who have long experience of a series of different parts of the pensions industry.