Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach but correct him on his pronunciation of "Duhill". I welcome all my fellow Tipperary people. I am the only Tipperary person in the Seanad and we cannot have enough Tipperary people in here. I welcome them today. I know they are in good hands with Councillor Máirín McGrath and I hope they enjoy their visit. I am about to bring up a topic in which they might be interested.

A number of people have recently come into my office in Clonmel to speak about their pensions. The Government increased pensions by €12 at the start of the year. There was also a double payment at the end of January, which was very welcome to the many people who needed it because of the cost-of-living crisis and the challenges we have especially in January, after Christmas. A number of people, including couples and women, have had an issue whereby their occupational pensions are penalised because of the increase in the State pension. The increase of €12 to the State pension meant the overall pension per month for some people has increased and the tax they are paying has increased dramatically, meaning that their take-home money after tax is less than it was before the €12 increase. I ask for the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, to come to the House to address this issue and to consider what can be done to support our pensioners.

One couple came into my office in Clonmel during the week. The occupational pension they are getting as a top-up is worth €1,700 per month. They used to pay between €100 and €200 per month in tax but that has now risen to €400 or €500. That is a massive increase for an elderly couple. Another lady's occupational pension was worth just over €1,200 and is now worth almost €1,000, which is a drop of almost €200 per month. Over a year, that is a significant drop. An awful lot of other pensioners in Tipperary have been affected and the Minister needs to make some tax changes as quickly as possible.