Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Order of Business. I welcome the ongoing work on pensions, in particular for younger people, the move to an auto-enrolment system and the current debate on the age at which people should be auto-enrolled.There was a debate on radio yesterday. I put some stuff out on social media and asked what age people should be auto-enrolled at and asked to pay into their pensions. I got various responses. Some said that 16 made sense. They understood that it was 16 because once one starts working and pays from the beginning, one will never miss the money. That is the idea behind it. We probably need to explain why we may be asking people to pay into pensions at the age of 16 when they cannot vote, drive or enter a bar and buy a drink at that age. It might confuse some members of the public but the rationale behind it makes sense. Many others gave random ages like 20, 21 or 23. One person said 55, which is a bit ambitious if they want to retire at a reasonable age. There is a debate to be had. It would be good to get the Minister for Social Protection to come before the House at some opportunity to speak to us about the whole system of pension auto-enrolment, what the plans are, and how we intend to implement the system. It is long overdue. Ultimately, it is about protecting people in old age in order that they are able to maintain the lifestyle that they had when they were working and can pay for things.

One final matter that I want to raise is the ongoing situation with regard to holiday and tourist accommodation in many parts of the country that is currently being used to house those seeking international protection and refugees. We needed to house people. My request, which I have made to the Minister, is that we start thinking about next year and the year after, and the tourist seasons that will come in the following years. Ultimately, in rural areas in particular, many people pay the bills and put food on the table whose livelihoods are made from the hospitality sector, whether it is a small souvenir shop, a coffee shop, a pub or a restaurant. If tourists are not coming into the accommodation in an area, it will have a knock-on impact on smaller businesses. We need to hear about the plans the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, has for the tourist sector for next year and the year after. We appreciate that we need to do our best this year and help people, but we also need to see a plan in place for future years to ensure that the businesses to which I refer are protected.