Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 May 2013
429. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on the fact that pensioners who retire at 65 years will have to sign on the dole and search for work for a year before being allowed to claim the State pension; if she will clarify this situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24083/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2011 provides that State pension age will be increased gradually to 68 years. This will begin in 2014 with the abolition of the State pension (transition) thereby standardising State pension age for all to 66 years. The State pension age will be further increased to 67 years in 2021 and to 68 years in 2028.
For workers who retire at 65 and who cannot or do not wish to remain in the workforce, the main social welfare payments available to those who leave employment before pension age are jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker's allowance. Persons aged between 65 and 66 years are generally entitled to receive payment up to the date on which they reach pensionable age (66 years). Any jobseeker’s benefit recipient may be subject to activation measures.
It should be noted that until the 1970s, the standard age for receipt of State pension was 70 years of age. Increasing longevity and significant improvements in health status mean that people can work longer to support themselves in retirement. Recent pension reforms including the raising of State pension age and the abolition of the State pension (transition) are necessary steps in ensuring the sustainability of pensions into the future. The recently published OECD report on the Review of the Irish Pension System confirms that reforms are necessary if we are to continue to put pension provision on a sustainable footing given the changes in demographics, the deficit in the Social Insurance Fund, and the difficult fiscal situation.
