Controversy over state pension age continues
THE controversy over the increase of the state pension age to 67 has continued to dominate the agenda for much of the General Election campaign.
Here’s what candidates had to say about the issue while on Drivetime of Radio One last week:
Thomas Walsh (FG) - “Our policy position is very clear. This isn’t a new issue, this was signed in 2010 by Fianna Fáil and the Troika. We’re introducing a new transition period, €240 per week for those retiring at 66 to bridge that gap to 67. Our population is getting older. I come from an era where my friends had to leave this country because they couldn’t get jobs, they couldn’t afford mortgages cause the banks weren’t lending, we don’t want to go back to that. We have to put in place measures to pay pensions.”
Marc MacSharry (FF) - “Micheál Martin said that we will have the transitional payment for 65 and 66 re-introduced, we will establish a pensions commission but the clear target is to look after people when they are 65 and then on.
“What we won’t do, is make promises we can’t keep, write cheques we can’t cash. What we are absolutely committed to, is telling people the truth. We want a pension commission to try to develop a plan so that people from 65 on have options and that they have security.”
Martin Kenny (SF) - “Both other parties say that they are going to put an interim arrangement in between the years when the person retires at 65 until they’re 67 or 68, so aren’t they as well make that the pension and call it the pension if the state’s going to pay it anyway. That’s just a short-term measure because it’s going to get them over the election.
“We have committed to make sure that everyone that retires at 65 will be entitled to their pension at 65. The reality is that we need to build an economy, that our young people need to come back and work here in this country and particularly the North-West. We need jobs for graudates, we need to build an economy where we have the capacity to pay these pensions.”
Marian Harkin (IND) - I look to Europe. Many countries have a pension age of 65, some of them younger. How do they fund it? They have three pillar pensions, people contribute, employers contribute, and the Government contribute. I would pull it back to 65.
Declan Bree (Ind4Change) - “I fully support the campaign by the trade union movement to see entitlement to the state pension restored to 65. I think we must remember that while it was Fine Gael and Labour that actually brought in the legislation to increase the pension age, it was the Green/Fianna Fáil Government that initiated it and people forget that. It’s outrageous that people who have paid their taxes and PRSI over the years are now expected to wait until 67.”