Press release
Minister Humphreys addresses inaugural meeting of the Pensions Commission
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, today addressed members of the newly established Pensions Commission at its inaugural meeting.
Establishment of the Commission was approved by Government earlier this month, in fulfilment of a Programme for Government commitment.
The Commission will examine sustainability and eligibility issues in respect of State Pension arrangements and will outline options for the Government to address issues such as qualifying age, contribution rates, total contributions and eligibility requirements.
More broadly, it will also consider the issue of retirement ages in employment contracts and consider how the pension system can further accommodate carers.
The commission, chaired by Ms Josephine Feehily, comprises of six women and five men.
The Commission represent the wide range of expertise and stakeholder representation necessary to examine the complex public and social policy issues involved.
This includes representation of workers, employers, civil society, academics and those with technical and policy expertise.
Speaking after the meeting, Minister Humphreys said:
I was very pleased to attend this first meeting of the Pensions Commission. The mix of knowledge and experience brought by the membership will be extremely important in developing credible options for the Government to consider.
I am also delighted that six of the eleven members are women – representing a good gender balance.
The Commission has both my and my Department’s full support and I know under Josephine’s leadership the members will approach this important body of work with focus, energy and vigour.”
The Chair of the Pensions Commission, Ms. Josephine Feehily, said
The Commission started its work today on an important area of public policy which affects people’s lives.
The terms of reference for our work are challenging given the timeframes and the complexity of issues to be examined. I would like to thank Members for giving their time and expertise and I look forward to working productively.”
The Commission will submit a report on its work, findings, options and recommendations to the Minister by 30 June 2021.
ENDS
Full membership of the Pensions Commission
As appointed by the Minister for Social Protection:
1. Josephine Feehily (Chair), formerly Chair of the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and formerly Chair of the Policing Authority
2. Ita Mangan, Barrister and Chair of the Citizens Information Board, Chair of the Board of Age & Opportunity, Member of the Board of the Irish Hospice Foundation and formerly Chair of the Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare
3. Roma Burke, Actuary and Partner with Lane, Clark & Peacock, member of the Pensions Council, member of the Society of Actuaries of Ireland and former Chair of its Pensions Committee, independent non-executive director of Dublin Simon Community
4. Seamus Coffey, Economist and Lecturer in UCC, member of the external advisory board to the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service and former chair of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council
5. Dr. Aedín Doris, Labour Economist, lecturer in Maynooth University, and Managing Editor of the Economic and Social Review
6. Jack Keyes, Principal Advisor for Age Friendly Ireland, Chair of Pyrite Remediation Board and outgoing Chair Readers Advisory Committee National Library of Ireland, Associate Lecturer IPA, former County Manager Cavan County Council, and Senior Advisor in policy formulation and implementation.
7. Ian Power, CEO of SpunOut.ie, member of the Board of the Citizens Information Board (CIB), member of the Board of Community Foundation for Ireland, and formerly President of the National Youth Council of Ireland
8. Anne Vaughan, former Deputy Secretary General of the Department of Social Protection, former member of the Pensions Authority, and current Chair of the National Statistics Board
9. John McGrane, Director General of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce, the Executive Director of the Family Business Network, Founder of NSI Technology and of Kmend.com, and co-Founder of Board Ready.
10. ICTU nominee: Ethel Buckley, Deputy General Secretary of SIPTU
11. Ibec nominee: Tony Donohoe, Policy Advisor with Ibec, Chair of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs and member of the Higher Education Authority.