Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 96: To ask the Minister for Finance the regulations he imposes on self-administered pension funds with particular emphasis on the reason that funds are required to put aside a set amount of money which cannot be drawn down and which is not calculated as a percentage of the overall value of funds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39878/11]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I understand that this question may relate to the flexible options on retirement first introduced in Finance Act 1999. Prior to that Act, any person taking a pension under a defined contribution (DC) scheme or a Retirement Annuity Contract was required to purchase an annuity with their remaining pension pot after drawing down the appropriate tax-free lump sum. Finance Act 1999 introduced significant changes which gave a considerable degree of control, flexibility and personal choice to certain categories of individuals in relation to the drawing down of benefits from their pension plans. These choices include the options to purchase an annuity, to receive the balance of the pension fund in cash (subject to tax, as appropriate), to invest in an approved retirement fund (ARF) or an Approved Minimum Retirement Fund (AMRF), subject to certain conditions.

Access to these flexible options was extended to all main benefits from retirement benefit schemes (other than Defined Benefit arrangements) in Finance Act 2011. The changes made in Finance Act 2011 have particular relevance for ordinary members of occupational DC pension schemes in respect of the main benefits from such schemes, as up to the passing of the Act, the only option available to them in respect of those benefits had been the purchase of a retirement annuity after taking the tax-free lump sum. These individuals now have the choices referred to above depending on their particular circumstances. It should be borne in mind, however, that the option to invest in an ARF or AMRF as opposed to purchasing an annuity may not be appropriate for everyone.

Under the regime the options to

· invest in an ARF, or

· receive the balance of the pension fund in cash (subject to tax, as appropriate) are subject to conditions. The conditions include the requirements that the individual be over 75 years of age or, if younger, that the individual has a guaranteed level of pension income (specified income) actually in payment for life at the time the option to effect the ARF or cash option is exercised. Finance Act 2011 increased the guaranteed level of pension income required from the previous fixed amount of €12,700 introduced in 1999, to a variable amount equal to 1.5 times the maximum annual rate of the State Pension (Contributory) bringing the "specified income" limit to €18,000 per annum at present.

The purpose of the specified income limit is to ensure, before an individual has unfettered access to their remaining retirement funds via an ARF for example, that they have the security of an adequate guaranteed income throughout their retirement. The change to the specified income limit introduced in Finance Act 2011 was strongly signalled in the National Pensions Framework published in March 2010.

Where the minimum specified income test is not met, and an individual does not wish to purchase an annuity, then an AMRF must be chosen into which a "set aside" amount must be invested from the pension fund equal to 10 times the maximum annual rate of State Pension (Contributory) –€119,800 at present – or the remainder of the pension fund, after taking the tax-free lump sum, if less. Prior to Finance Act 2011, the "set aside" amount was fixed at the first €63,500 of the pension fund or the remainder of the fund after the tax-free lump sum, if less than that amount. The purpose of an AMRF is to ensure a capital or income "safety net" throughout the period of their retirement for individuals with pension income below the specified income limit. The funds in an AMRF can be used by the owner at any time to purchase an annuity. On death of the AMRF owner, the AMRF automatically becomes an ARF and any remaining funds may be passed on in a tax efficient way to a surviving spouse and/or children.

Prior to Finance Act 2011, if the minimum specified income test was not met at the time the option to effect the ARF or cash option was exercised and the individual placed a "set aside" amount in an AMRF, that capital sum was effectively "locked in" and could not be accessed by the individual, other than to purchase an annuity, until he or she reached 75 years of age (at which point the AMRF automatically becomes an ARF) though any income generated by the fund could be drawn down subject to tax. This was the position even if the minimum specified income test was met after retirement. Finance Act 2011 changed this rule so that where the minimum specified income test is met at any time after retirement and before age 75, the AMRF automatically becomes an ARF with full access to the funds.

The Budget and Finance Act 2011 changes seek to ensure that those in pension arrangements to whom the flexible ARF options on retirement have been extended will have choices which best suit their particular circumstances. In making the changes, however, there was also a concern to ensure that the parameters and rules governing the extension are set in a way that avoids an increase in the risk of income poverty in old age.