Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Senator Walsh in regard to the retirement age. I do not know whether there is truth in what used to be said, namely, that mathematicians peak early and lawyers much later. Perhaps some of these 70 year olds are just coming to their peak. Life expectancy here is heading towards 100 years for females. The explanatory memorandum in referring to section 17 refers to the "usual retirement age", so there may be some scope and flexibility on that. The Bill refers to the "appropriate age" and the last line of section 18 mentions 72 years. Therefore, there seems to be some flexibility on retirement age. People in charge of human resources say having a compulsory retirement age gets rid of both the awkward characters and the good ones. I believe Senator Walsh has a point in regard to flexibility and perhaps the Minister will consider that.