David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We all recognise that there is a serious situation regarding pensions in this country. We are facing a type of cliff having wasted the National Pensions Reserve Fund on paying off the debts of the German and French banks. I wonder who was responsible for the administration of the Aer Lingus pension fund; I am not sure whether anybody has asked that question. How did this situation arise and why did nobody see it coming? There is an absolute moral imperative on Government to safeguard the interests of employees in respect of pension funds. Aer Lingus should never have been taken out of national ownership. Its privatisation was a disastrous mistake and not in the interests of the people.

Like colleagues, I have had a large volume of correspondence from people about this issue, including from one man who is facing retirement with a 60% cut in his pension. It is unimaginable that any Government, particularly one with a Labour Party component, would stand over a cut of that magnitude in people's retirement income. Retirement in and of itself involves a fairly drastic cutback in income.

However, to have that sliced by 60% is appalling. I cannot see any objection to an appeals mechanism. That is part of natural justice, but I can understand why the Government is afraid of it. It is because it is grotesquely wrong and unfair to treat pensioners in this manner, and I imagine that any independently appointed appeals officer would find as such.

Recommendation No. 14 asks that employees be treated in an equitable manner. What has Government got against people being treated in an equitable manner? I will leave it at that.