Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The proposal referred to in the question had been considered by officials in my Department and elsewhere previously. Then, in the context of the Pensions Council being the independent statutory body established to provide the Minister with advice on pensions matters, I requested the Council, in April 2023, to provide me with its own assessment of the proposal under five different headings.

Membership of the Council has been constituted to ensure the relevant skills, specialist knowledge and experience are in place to allow for the provision of collective advice, information and assistance in the development of pensions policy. On this particular matter, the Council additionally procured the services of an independent academic to assist with its consideration of the technical feasibility of the proposal.

The Council recently concluded its assessment and submitted its final report to me, together with a copy of the independently commissioned technical assessment. I will consider any relevant recommendations of the Council in due course.

I am informed that the Council published its final report on the proposal, along with the independently commissioned technical assessment, on its website on 3rd of April. I am also informed that the minutes to which the Deputy refers are present. For further information, the website address is:

The Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024 is now published and is due to be progressed through the Oireachtas over the coming weeks. The Bill aligns with the final design approved by Government in March 2022.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.