Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The first thing we tell young people when they get a job is to get a pension. We tell them the pension will guarantee their comfort in their old age. As we get older, we become vulnerable. I am particularly aware of it as I get older myself. It is totally unacceptable to hit the most vulnerable people in our society. These people have already been hit. Any of them that invested in blue chip shares or property have already been hit. Now we come along and hit them again. It is grossly unacceptable. I wonder what the trustees were doing. I agree with my colleagues, Senators Barrett and Power, that somebody somewhere has to look at what went on in the trustee meetings. What were they doing? How did they allow this to get to this stage? It is grossly negligent of the trustees. They should not be allowed to walk away from this with clean hands. I do not have a lot more to say on this except to say that I feel for the people who have worked all their lives and now have very little to look forward to.