Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I think Senator O'Neill has pointed out that the difficulty lies in what the alternative is, particularly for the scheme as a whole. As the Minister points out, the funding proposals would cause huge difficulties for the deferred pensioners but the risk for all the members of the companies and the wider economy is greater. It strikes me that we are caught between a rock and a hard place. All of us have immense sympathy for those who are so badly affected by this but we do need to ask the difficult question of how we got to this position, whether we can ensure it will not happen again and whether we are sure this is the best outcome for all concerned.