Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 318: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of occupational pension scheme contributors who make contributions on a compulsory basis with a breakdown by public and private sector. [21924/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Between defined contribution and defined benefit schemes, there were more than 850,000 pension scheme members in 2008. Excluding some 300,000 public sector members, that means that more than 500,000 private sector employees are members of occupational pension schemes. There is no compulsion on private sector employees to join an occupational pension scheme. Any decision to do so is usually theirs to take. One possible exception is where an employer insists on membership of their occupational pension scheme as part of a person's terms of employment. However, there is no data on the numbers of employers, schemes or employees that this may impact upon. The vast majority of public sector workers are automatically enrolled into a pension scheme on commencement of employment.