asked the Minister for Social Welfare when he intends publishing proposals for the establishment of a national income-related pension scheme.
Ceisteanna—Questions . Oral Answers . - Pension Scheme .
26.
: The Green Paper, A National Income-Related Pension Scheme, which was published in October 1976 was designed to provide a basis for informed discussion of the whole question of pension provision. To date over 120 submissions have been received from interested organisations and individuals. A closing date of 31 March 1978 for receipt of submissions was announced by newspaper advertisement, but a few important organisations have indicated that they will not be in a position to submit their views before the end of this month. I will put appropriate proposals before the Government when all the submissions have been received and considered.
: Has the Minister any idea of the likely time projection for the implementation of any proposals for this kind of scheme? Is it next session, this year or when?
: I will not get all the submissions, including very important submissions from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, until the end of this month at the very earliest. These are my constraints, and it is a very complex area. I may use that phrase in regard to other areas, but this perhaps is the most complex of them all.
: Has the Minister or have the Government any idea as to whether it will be a year, two years or so many months?
: There will be nothing specific in a matter of months anyway.
: Not this year?
: Probably not.
: Can the Minister say whether the Government are contemplating a funded scheme?
: That is the big question.
: Perhaps the Minister will give us the big answer.
: Naturally the benefits to the economy and to the country would be enormous in the event of there being a funded scheme but as the Deputy knows there are cogent arguments both ways. I will be considering all the submissions that have been made in this regard and after that there will be much discussion and a number of seminars and meetings on this question.
: Is the Minister not aware that a great deal of discussion and a considerable number of seminars have taken place already on the basis of the Green Paper which was published before the Minister took office? That was on the question of pay-related pensions?
: Yes, but some of that discussion was ill-informed as I think the Deputy will agree.
: That is a rather sad reflection on senior officials of the Department who participated in most, if not all, of those discussions.
: I am referring to one very important organisation in this area who were involved in discussions but discussions which proceeded on the basis of confusion as between a funded and a pay-as-you-go scheme.
: Would the Minister care to clear up that alleged confusion?
: I think it has been cleared up now.
: Are the Government thinking of a funded scheme?
: The Government have not taken any decision on this.
: In other words, the Government are confused.
: That is not so. My answer indicated that when I have received all the submissions and considered them I will put proposals to the Government.
: Another review body.
: It is not a question of a review body. If the Deputy understood what was involved in this I do not think he would be asking me to rush to any conclusion.
: There is no danger of that.
: I may have to reveal something, that is, that the Deputy did not get very far when he put a proposal in this regard to the Coalition.
: The Minister is at liberty to reveal whatever he has in mind.
: I am saying that as Parliamentary Secretary the Deputy got nowhere with his proposal in this regard.
: If I were allowed——
: The Deputy was not allowed by his Government to do anything about the proposal.
: That is not true. If I were allowed under the rules of the House to say that the Minister is telling lies, I should say that.
: Let us cease the argument and continue with questions.