asked the Minister for Finance if he has received a request from the association of Civil Service pensioners to take steps to end the disabilities suffered by Civil Service pensioners as a result of the persistent decline in the value of pensions and the continued rise in prices of all commodities since the original assessment of the pensions; and, if so, if he proposed to meet their request.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - State and Local Authority Pensions.
asked the Minister for Finance if he will state whether the Government proposed to assist retired officers of the State service and the local authorities to meet the increased cost of living by granting increases in their present rates of pensions.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 13 together. I have received a copy of a resolution adopted by the association of Civil Service pensioners calling for an adjustment in the value of their pensions. I regret that I can hold out no hope of introducing legislation to increase the pensions of retired public officials having regard to the heavy State expenditure which such legislation would involve.
In view of the fact that the cost of living has substantially increased since many of these persons retired and that a goodly measure of the increase was due to Government action, would the Minister not now recognise that these officers have a strong moral claim to an increase in their pensions, to enable them to meet the impact of higher prices which is hitting them as severely as other members of the community who, in their case, can take other action to ensure that they get adequate compensation for these increases?
They are gettingthe pensions they are entitled to. I do not think that the increase in the cost of living is due as, the Deputy suggests, mainly to any governmental action. Some of the people with whom the Deputy is associated have very much more to do with the increase in the cost of living than the Government has.
Does not everybody know, except the egregious Minister for Finance——
I do not propose to answer this supplementary and the Deputy is wasting time asking it.
Does not everybody know, except this remarkable Minister for Finance that we have, that the cost of living was substantially increased as a result of the slashing of the food subsidies last year? Does the Minister not recognise, while he may claim that these people are being paid the pensions to which they are entitled on the basis of their service, that they are being paid in depreciated money in consequence of the Government's action in forcing up prices?