Submission 6

19th October 2007 Thank you for addressing the issue of pensions. It is badly in need of attention. I propose that: a) the distinction between a contributory and a non-contributory state pension is unfair to people such as homemakers or people who have lived and worked for a time outside Ireland or the European Union. That eligibility should be based on the total number of social welfare contributions the individual may have had over their working life rather than a notional average, and that special arrangements be made for widows based on their husbands' or partners' contribution record. b) retirement funds be split between annuities and approved retirement funds, according to the wishes of the citizen, so that they cater both for their own needs for a pension and to make provision for their heirs, in the proportion chosen by the individual citizen. c) insofar as is possible, the individual citizen be permitted to choose extending their own retirement age beyond age 65 in return for a higher pension later on.