CEO of the IAPF, Jerry Moriarty, said: “The fact that our Government expects the 30,000 people who will turn 65 in 2020 to sign up for job seekers allowance for two years is nothing short of an insult.
"A group, who will have contributed to both the Irish tax take and the Irish economy for over 40 years should not have to face this prospect after a lifetime of work.”
The IAPF said that these changes to the state pension threshold:
- Will force more people onto the Dole effectively for two years
- Do not make any allowance for people who have to retire as they can no longer do manual work
- Will have a disproportionate impact on poorer people, as the statistics show their mortality rates are higher and therefore, they receive even less in total State pension payments
Mr Moriarty added: “There is still time to rectify matters. Firstly, we would ask that the Government look into how they might introduce the payment of a reduced pension for retirees who need or want to retire before the new State Pension Age.
"We are also advocating for some form of staged phasing in of the changes, to avoid the cliff edge, and to ensure that these pensioners do not lose out on a full year’s pension”.
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