Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action he intends to take arising from the recent report from the European Commission which claimed that the Government was not doing enough to deal with the imbalance in pension coverage here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4702/06]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 54: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on the recent publication of the national pensions review; if it is intended to implement the recommendations contained in the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4701/06]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs further to the current review of the pension system here, if his Department has come to any decisions; if not, when he expects decisions to be made; the incentives or measures which will be put in place to encourage people to take up pensions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4655/06]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 69: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the total number of persons who have taken out PRSAs at the latest date for which figures are available; the overall proportion of the eligible workforce this represents; his plans to review the scheme in view of the low take up rate to date in 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4703/06]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 132: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his plans for State or social welfare pensions in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4900/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 51, 54, 63, 69 and 132 together.

The latest results from the CSO quarterly national household survey, QNHS, show a 0.9% decline in supplementary pensions coverage from 52.4% of the working population aged 20-69 in quarter one of 2004 to 51.5% in the same quarter of 2005. The decline is within the margin of error for the survey so the position appears to be that there has been little change in the rate of supplementary pensions coverage over the last year. The most recent figures from the Pensions Board show that up to the end of December 2005 68,257 PRSAs have now been taken out with a total asset value of €451 million.

As the House will be aware, in early 2005 I asked the Pensions Board to bring forward by one year a review of our overall pensions strategy because I considered that on the basis of the progress being made there was little prospect of reaching our targets for pensions coverage in any kind of reasonable timescale. The Pensions Board completed its work in November 2005 and I published the report on 17 January. The board has reaffirmed the various targets recommended in the original national pensions policy initiative which included a retirement income, from all sources, of 50% of pre-retirement income, a social welfare pension equating to 34% of average industrial earnings and a supplementary pensions coverage rate of 70% for those aged over 30 years. The Government is already committed to achieving a social welfare pension of €200 per week by 2007.

The Pensions Board has recommended enhancements to the current voluntary system of supplementary pensions as it considers that the voluntary system has the potential to deliver significant improvements in coverage. Essentially these suggestions involve using the successful elements of the SSIA system in a pensions context by converting the tax relief provided for personal pensions to a matching contribution. I have already had discussions with the Minister for Finance on the possibility of implementing the suggestions of the Pensions Board and officials will examine these in more detail to determine the practicalities and costs of such a system.

There is no doubt that, with the right incentives, the voluntary system can deliver improved pensions coverage. In this regard, I welcome the proposals brought forward by the Minister for Finance in the recent Finance Bill providing incentives for SSIA savers on lower incomes to invest in pensions. However, as I have said on many occasions, we may have to consider a more radical approach and, in this regard, I am asking the Pensions Board to explore in more practical detail the ideas for a mandatory or quasi-mandatory system it put forward in its review.

The issue of pensions has achieved a very high profile over the last year or so but I think we have yet to have an engaging debate on exactly how we will tackle the difficult questions we face in the years ahead. The Pension Board report challenges us to have that debate and to decide finally the type of retirement we want for our older people and the contribution we will make during our working lives to that future. As Deputies will be aware, I am convening a national pensions forum, hopefully in March, and I hope that will generate robust debate at national level.