The government must act to rectify pension inequality, with many in Laois feeling they have been robbed by the State.
Fianna Fáil TD for Kildare South, Fiona O’Loughlin has said that the failure by Minister Doherty, and her predecessor Leo Varadkar, to publish the report on the pension system agreed to during the passage of last year’s Social Welfare Bill has stifled progress in the area of pension inequality, and must be rectified as soon as possible.
“It is imperative that this report is made available as soon as possible. The current nature of the pension system is inequitable and the changes introduced in 2012 made it more difficult to access the full rate of the State Contributory pension.
“This has caused a great deal of stress and financial hardship for many older people and for women in particular,” Deputy O’Loughlin said.
“Whilst I am aware that there are plans to move from an averaging approach to a total contributions approach by 2020, thousands of people continue to lose out on a weekly basis.
Robbed
“I have been contacted by umpteen amounts of constituents in Kildare and Laois who feel the state have robbed them of what they have worked hard to receive.
“This fundamental and growing problem is the reason why I, along with my colleague Willie O’Dea, and my party, brought forward a motion last week in the Dáil on correcting pension inequities. It is imperative that where possible anomalies in the system are found that they are addressed,” she said.
“Many older people have no other income in retirement and are solely reliant on the State Contributory Pension.
“The band changes introduced in 2012 saw some lose as much as €30 per week and this is a considerable sum of money, particularly for those on a fixed income, leaving many struggling to make ends meet,” Deputy O’Loughlin said.
“It is within the Government’s own capabilities to address this and other anomalies.
“The move to a total contributions system in 2020 will not help those who are currently losing out on their entitlement to a full state pension and Minister Doherty should act to rectify this situation as quickly as possible,” concluded O’Loughlin.
SEE ALSO – Mountrath bookies broken into; horse rugs stolen in Portlaoise
