Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 27: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if his Department has conducted surveys and consulted members of the public on their views on different types of pension schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7985/07]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he has completed his consideration of the recent report he received from the Pensions Board, Special Savings for Retirement Report on Mandatory Pension System; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7914/07]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 76: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when the promised Green Paper on pensions will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7913/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 27, 63 and 76 together.

As the House will be aware, in early 2005 I asked the Pensions Board to undertake a review of overall pensions strategy because I considered that, on the basis of the progress being made at that time, there was little prospect of reaching the targets set by the Pensions Board for pensions coverage within a reasonable timescale. The Board completed the National Pensions Review, which was published in January 2006. The Board 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 Board recommended enhancements to the current voluntary system of supplementary pensions as it considers that the system has the potential to deliver significant improvements in coverage. However, no truly voluntary pensions system has been able to deliver the sort of coverage rates for which we are aiming. In that context, I asked the Pensions Board to explore in more detail the ideas for a mandatory or quasi-mandatory system, which had been set out in the National Pensions Review.

In August 2006, the Government published the Pensions Board report, Special Savings for Retirement, in which the Board suggested a model that could be considered if it were decided a mandatory system of supplementary pensions was required. The model was aimed at low to middle earners and entails mandatory contributions of 15%, shared between employers, employees and the Exchequer, on earnings between €15,000 and €60,000. This would be backed up by an improved social welfare pension, which would increase from a current level of 33% of gross average industrial earnings to 40%. A timescale of 10 years was suggested for full implementation of this approach. As the House is aware, the Government is committed to producing a Green Paper on pensions as part of the social partnership agreement Towards 2016. The Green Paper will outline the major policy choices and the challenges we face in the pensions area. The two reports completed by the Pensions Board in 2006 are significant inputs to the process. I expect that the Green Paper will be finalised by the end of this month and published as quickly as possible thereafter. The social partners have been consulted on what they would like to see covered in the Paper. As agreed in Towards 2016 a consultation process will then take place and the Government will respond to this by publishing a framework for future pensions policy.