Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1178. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to outline the specific circumstances under which a person who is working is not entitled to be auto-enrolled in My Future Fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58378/25]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1179. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to outline the specific circumstances under which a person who is working may be a member, simultaneously of a private pension and My Future Fund where the employer contributes to the private pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58379/25]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1180. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of languages in which a comprehensive guide to My Future Fund is available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58380/25]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1181. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will provide a copy of the guidelines issued to employers regarding auto-enrolment and the treatment of workers eligible for auto-enrolment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58381/25]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1182. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the options for workers for whom My Future Fund would be more financially favourable than their existing pension plan; if such persons can become enrolled in the My Future Fund and under which circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58382/25]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1186. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the sanctions in place for employers who refuse to implement auto-enrolment by the January 2026 deadline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58436/25]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1187. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the sanctions in place for employers who are shown to be illegally obliging workers to join another pension scheme such that they are prevented from accessing My Future Fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58437/25]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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1189. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to provide a breakdown of the reason 50,000 fewer employees are expected to be enrolled in My Future Fund; the demographics of this group, by age, profession and gender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58467/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1178 to 1182, inclusive, 1186, 1187 and 1189 together.

The introduction of a pensions auto-enrolment system is a Programme for Government commitment, and one of my key priorities. The aim of introducing an AE system is to address the pension coverage gap that exists in Ireland, and to help provide for better retirement incomes for workers. The new system - to be known as My Future Fund - will commence from 1st January 2026.

From that date, current and new employees aged between 23 and 60 years of age and earning €20,000 or above per annum (across all employments) who are not already in an approved supplementary pension scheme will be automatically enrolled into My Future Fund. Those who fall outside the age and earnings threshold, so those aged between 18 and 23 or between 60 and 66, and/or earn below €20,000, will be able to join the new retirement savings system voluntarily by opting in.

Those who are ineligible to participate in My Future Fund include workers who are self-employed and employees already covered by an occupational pension or retirement savings scheme, where contributions are paid through payroll. An employee may simultaneously be a member of My Future Fund and a private pension only in the event that the contributions to the private pension are paid outside of payroll systems.

It is important to note that My Future Fund is not intended to replace or modify existing retirement savings arrangements, but to address the situation where employers do not provide such arrangements to their employees or where employees have chosen not to avail of such arrangements. In some employments, an employer may have membership of an occupational pension scheme included as part of the contract for employment. In other cases, where such terms and conditions of employment are not provided for, then the employee may decide not to join an occupational pension scheme. If such individuals remain outside such an occupational scheme and where they meet the age and earning thresholds, then they will be automatically enrolled into My Future Fund when the system commences. Where an employer hinders such individuals from participating in My Future Fund, then the employer can be proceeded against through the workplace relations mechanisms of the State. Hindering an employee from joining My Future Fund is also an offence which can be prosecuted through the courts.

Except for the payment of contributions and notifying their employees of their enrolment, employers are not required to implement My Future Fund themselves, as almost all of the administrative tasks will fall to the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA) to manage. Should an employer fail to pay contributions, then the AE Act provides for a range of enforcement measures, which NAERSA can use against the employer, including compliance notices, fixed payment notices, court orders, legal proceedings, interest on arrears and publication of the name of an employer on a non-compliance list.

In relation to guideline for employers, there is already a range of guidance documents on My Future Fund for both employers and employees publicly available in English and Irish on the gov.ie website at: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/campaigns/auto-enrolment/. Further guidance will be published there in English and Irish in the coming months.

Finally, in relation to the estimated number of participants, the figures set out in various documents published by my Department are based on point of time data from Revenue's real-time PAYE system. These estimates can vary due to refinement in the macro-data. Moreover, in costings exercises an allowance is made for potential opt-outs, which impacts on the participant numbers. Given these considerations, my Department simply provides estimates from time to time and has not provided an actual number of prospective participants.

I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.