Thomas Pringle TD
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Pringle says Government must address a range of pension-related issues

Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, said reducing the pension age is just one of the pension-related issues that Government needs to address. Deputy Pringle addressed the Dáil on Tuesday in support of the Sinn Féin motion that would restore the pension age to 65, among other protections. Deputy Pringle said: “It was December 1st, 2020 when we last debated a Sinn Féin motion on pension age in support of the Stop 67 campaign. Thankfully, at that time, there was enough public pressure on the government – as well as in the lead up to the General Election in February 2020 – to pause the planned retirement age increase to 67 years from 2021.” He said Government’s increasing the pension age in 2014, coupled with the abolition of the State Pension Transition Payment, meant that 65-year-old people had to sign on for Jobseeker’s payments, which are €45.30 less per week than the state pension rate. Deputy Pringle asked: “Why must the public always be expected to pay for the government’s ineptitude?” He noted that the Programme for Government set out a number of pension-related commitments and stated that those commitments would be “affordable changes” underpinned by “the principles of sustainability, adequacy and fairness”. However, Deputy Pringle said those “affordable changes” did not include “addressing the extortionate expenditure on tax relief for those with private pensions, which has cost the Exchequer billions over the years”. According to Social Justice Ireland, the deputy said, giving tax relief on private pension contributions at 40 per cent instead of 20 per cent means that “over 70 per cent of the tax relief for private pensions accrues to the top 20 per cent of earners, with more than 50 per cent accruing to the top 10 per cent of earners”. Deputy Pringle said: “Huge numbers, and again, my point of governing for the few, not the many.” He also questioned when the report of the Commission on Pensions that the Government established will be available. Deputy Pringle said there are more issues that need to be addressed, including, “pension solutions for carers, the majority of whom are women; the housing crisis impact on pensioners as we have upcoming generations who don’t own their own homes and therefore won’t be living mortgage or rent-free into their pension years; and the lack of recognition of PRSI contributions by immigrant workers when they remain here after completing studies”.

Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, said reducing the pension age is just one of the pension-related issues that Government needs to address.

Deputy Pringle addressed the Dáil on Tuesday in support of the Sinn Féin motion that would restore the pension age to 65, among other protections.

Deputy Pringle said: “It was December 1st, 2020 when we last debated a Sinn Féin motion on pension age in support of the Stop 67 campaign.  Thankfully, at that time, there was enough public pressure on the government – as well as in the lead up to the General Election in February 2020 – to pause the planned retirement age increase to 67 years from 2021.”

He said Government’s increasing the pension age in 2014, coupled with the abolition of the State Pension Transition Payment, meant that 65-year-old people had to sign on for Jobseeker’s payments, which are €45.30 less per week than the state pension rate.

Deputy Pringle asked: “Why must the public always be expected to pay for the government’s ineptitude?”

He noted that the Programme for Government set out a number of pension-related commitments and stated that those commitments would be “affordable changes” underpinned by “the principles of sustainability, adequacy and fairness”.

However, Deputy Pringle said those “affordable changes” did not include “addressing the extortionate expenditure on tax relief for those with private pensions, which has cost the Exchequer billions over the years”.

According to Social Justice Ireland, the deputy said, giving tax relief on private pension contributions at 40 per cent instead of 20 per cent means that “over 70 per cent of the tax relief for private pensions accrues to the top 20 per cent of earners, with more than 50 per cent accruing to the top 10 per cent of earners”.

Deputy Pringle said: “Huge numbers, and again, my point of governing for the few, not the many.”

He also questioned when the report of the Commission on Pensions that the Government established will be available.

Deputy Pringle said there are more issues that need to be addressed, including, “pension solutions for carers, the majority of whom are women; the housing crisis impact on pensioners as we have upcoming generations who don’t own their own homes and therefore won’t be living mortgage or rent-free into their pension years; and the lack of recognition of PRSI contributions by immigrant workers when they remain here after completing studies”.