Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for bringing the Bill before the House. I think he is aware that Fianna Fáil will support the Bill, as he made reference to it in his speech. It is unfortunate that it has taken so long to get to this stage because it was stated as far back as last December that the Minister intended to resolve the anomaly regarding the compulsory retirement age, yet here we are in July and the Bill will not be enacted for some time.

It is good to see the retirement age increasing to 70, if people want that to be case. The measure does not apply to certain sectors and people who have their full service may want to retire earlier and now, that is at least their choice. As the Minister of State outlined there is a gap between 65 and 66 when people can get the contributory State pension. Will he assure me that public sector workers are entitled and do get their public sector pension from whenever they retire? I think it is a lump sum equal to a year and a half's salary followed by their pension based on their years of service from the day they retire. I would welcome clarification from the Minister of State in that regard.

People are currently affected by the rule. Could the Minister of State outline to us what he is going to do for people who are currently being forced to retire and do not get their contributory pension for some time? Is there any ability to retrospectively deal with them? I accept that we cannot go back forever but would it be possible to start with people affected from today, the day the Bill was introduced in the Seanad, and that the Minister would consider outlining measures to deal with people who are caught before the legislation is enacted if that is possible to do. I know there are people, including some of the ushers in this House, who will be affected. I know it is a question of timing and that not everybody will be affected but I would like to find out if there is a way to deal with the cohort of people who are affected by the timing of the legislation being enacted.

The Minister of State was very comprehensive and he outlined the measures included in each section. I will not repeat all he said. I am not sure whether the Minister of State made reference to it but I think there is a future provision that may be going up as high as 75 for compulsory retirement. Could he outline if that is the case? I do not doubt that in ten, 20 or 50 years' time people will be living even longer than they are now and that is very positive. With the increased number of people in the workforce and the amount of people who are living longer, perhaps there will be a requirement, subject to a person being healthy and well, to further increase the compulsory retirement age. Again, it would be the choice of the individual to continue to serve. I thank the Minister of State for introducing the Bill and I look forward to it being speedily processed through both Houses. I ask him to address the anomaly I raised.