
Employers who 'behave badly' over pension scheme will be 'chased down'
Officials from the Department of Social Protection addressed TDs and senators on the scheme which is due to start from January 1, and said employers who 'behave badly' and try to reclassify workers to avoid paying pension contributions would be 'chased down'.
Assistant secretary at the department, Tim Duggan, said: 'There are also provisions within the auto-enrolment act to discourage employers from behaving in a way that would coerce or seek to persuade employees from not engaging in auto-enrolment.'
In the works for nearly a decade, auto-enrolment pensions will see all employees not already in an occupational pension scheme or similar arrangement, between the ages of 23 and 60 and earning €20,000, automatically enrolled in one. Similar schemes operate in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.
Those who are auto-enrolled can opt out if they so wish, and can opt for higher or lower-risk retirement savings strategies within the scheme.
The scheme, dubbed 'My Future Fund', will be phased in over a decade. In the first three years, both employers and employees will contribute 1.5%, before it rises in increments to 6% by year 10. At the same time, the State will top up each person's savings pot by €1 for every €3 they contribute.
Mr Duggan said the rising incremental contributions will make it easier for employers to absorb the cost of contributing to the scheme, which comes at a time when many businesses are facing pressure on their costs from a variety of factors.
'We've had extensive engagement with all of these [business groups] over the last couple of years,' Mr Duggan said.
'Explaining the system, outlining the implications for them, and hearing those concerns that this is an additional cost.
'I've acknowledged it is an additional cost, but equally, over time, the cost impact of it will dissipate considerably. Over the next 10 years, wage inflation is going to be massively in excess of 6%.
'I've never seen a 10-year period where it hasn't been, so this is just an element of that wage inflation that's going to occur.'
On lessons learned from other jurisdictions, the committee heard that many countries made the amount people would pay into these pensions too low. This is why the Irish scheme would gradually increase the contributions.
Mr Duggan said: 'Ask any of the designers or operators of these schemes, they'll tell you it's the biggest mistake they made. They've a big problem with it now in the UK, 13 years in.
'In Australia, they took the view at the beginning they had to invest in low-risk conservative funds. The consequence of which is people didn't make any money in their pension pots.'
In terms of the planned January start date, Mr Duggan acknowledged that payroll providers and employers had said it would be 'more helpful' than the now delayed September 2025 start date.
He added that a communications campaign to make workers aware they may see a reduction taken from their payslips from January if they have been auto-enrolled will be ramped up in the coming months.
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Auto-enrolment heralds a new era for pensions in Ireland
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RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Polls open in Taiwan's high-stakes recall election
Taiwanese voters turned out at schools, churches and community centres to cast their ballot in a high-stakes recall election that could give President Lai Ching-te's party control of the parliament. Supporters of Mr Lai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) are seeking to unseat 31 politicians belonging to the main opposition Kuomintang party, who they accuse of being pro-China and a security threat. The KMT, which wants closer ties with China, controls parliament with the help of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) and has slammed the unprecedented recall effort as a power grab. Polling stations opened around Taiwan at 8am local time (12am Irish time) with 24 KMT politicians facing potential recall. Elections for another seven KMT politicians will be held on 23 August. Both major parties held rain-soaked rallies in the days leading up to the critical vote, which has dominated Taiwanese politics, newspaper headlines and social media feeds for months. While Mr Lai won the presidential election in 2024, his DPP party lost its majority in parliament. Since then, the KMT and TPP have joined forces to stymie Mr Lai's agenda, and slashed or frozen parts of the government's budget. Contentious opposition bills, including an attempt to expand parliament's powers, sparked brawls in the legislature and massive street protests - and spurred civic groups to launch the recall campaign. The DPP needs a minimum of 12 KMT politicians recalled to gain temporary control of the parliament, with risk analysis firm Eurasia Group giving that outcome "a 60% probability". Mr Lai's party would then need to flip six seats in by-elections later this year to cement its dominance in the 113-seat parliament - which analysts say would be a formidable challenge. Whatever the result of the recall and by-elections, analyst Lev Nachman said political divisions in Taiwan were certain to deepen. "The way that the recalls have played out have been perhaps some of the most divisive language used towards both camps that I think I've ever seen," Mr Nachman, a political scientist and long-time observer of Taiwan, told AFP. China looms large China has loomed large over the recall vote, with Taiwan warning of "visible evidence" that China was trying to interfere in the process. China claims the island is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control. For a KMT politician to lose their seat, the number of votes in favour of recalling them must exceed those against and also be more than 25% of the total number of registered voters in the electorate. Turnout will be critical and both sides have been lobbying their supporters for weeks to get out to vote before polling stations close.


Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: The best ancient advice in the world
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For a fee it will analyse every creator not only on this platform but also on YouTube and TikTok. Citizens may enter this bewildering landscape for a whole host of reasons, and many may be wholly harmless. A search for the best way to make falafel for example, or guidance on how to knit a plaited stitch; or directions to the best beaches in Galicia. But there are other subjects on which it is best to rely on a phrase which preceded the arrival of the internet by nearly 3,000 years. 'Caveat Emptor' — buyer beware. Medical advice certainly falls into this category. It's quite easy to find GPs who will tell you hair-raising stories about patients who arrive in their surgeries having carried out comprehensive search engine diagnoses of their symptoms and seeking sign-off and confirmation of their ailments and maladies. And the other topic where caution is required is, of course, financial information, where the Central Bank of Ireland has reissued advice to consumers that if they deal with an unauthorised firm then there is no recourse to statutory compensation schemes or the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman. 'Consumers are advised to check the official Central Bank website to see if the firm is authorised by the Central Bank' its statement to the Irish Examiner says. Mr Finlay, who has 260,000 followers on Instagram and 586,000 on TikTok, has built a reputation in recent years by posting food reviews and luxury lifestyle content. He frequently shares photos and videos of himself on first-class flights, at Premier League matches, and on holidays in Dubai. He also runs several channels on instant messaging app Telegram, which are focused on making money on T4Trade. He suggests that people copy his trades. The platform carries a disclaimer that it is not targeted to residents of the EU where it is not registered Mr Finlay says he charges €1,000 for access to a VIP channel which is owned and operated by him, but regularly allows small groups of people to enter 'free of charge,' for limited amounts of time, encouraging people to join quickly before access to the group closes. In historical terms, we are in the early days of trading and commerce on the internet and there are many lessons which still have to be learned. But as with any activity taking place on a new frontier, it is sensible to be cautious. It may not make you a fortune, but it can protect you from crushing disappointment. Or to quote T4Trade's own website: 'Our products are traded on margin and carry a high level of risk and it is possible to lose all your capital.' Old wild men have left the stage this week It has been, we must acknowledge, a bad week for old wild men. First the curtain came down on Ozzy Osbourne, 76, the founding father of the metalheads, whose last concert at Villa Park a couple of weeks previously was recalled by an Irish Examiner writer who proclaimed it as 'not just a celebration of music and legacy, but of life itself'. The self-styled Prince of Darkness nearly sacrificed his life on several occasions to excesses of various types but earned a place in people's hearts through his endearing MTV reality show, The Osbournes, which reached way beyond the aficionados of thrash metal. On the same day, a different kind of rugged hero departed with the passing of Joey Jones, stalwart of Liverpool, Wrexham, and Chelsea whose fist-pumping exhortations to fans were a familiar scene at soccer grounds across Europe in the 1970s and 80s. Jones, 70, born in a North Wales council house, was a rampaging left-sided defender whose never-say-die attitude won the hearts of those on the terraces. Hulk Hogan, who died on Thursday, was for more than a decade the ubiquitous face of wrestling bringing WWE to prominence with theatrical performances and a dominating physique. Hogan, who acknowledged that he took steroids, stood at 6ft 7in and weighed 145kg. His appearance was set off by a droopy blonde moustache and a T-shirt that he liked to rip open at the height of his exuberance. Hogan, 71, died from apparent cardiac arrest. In later years he was a voluble supporter of US president Donald Trump who counted 'the Hulkster' as a personal friend. There will be an opinion that men aren't made like this anymore but whether it's a snatch of the opening riff of 'Paranoid', a recollection of the famous 'Munching Gladbach' banner, or a highly colourful bandana, they will stay in our collective memories for the forseeable. Fair deal for cancer survivors is overdue There are few things more powerful than an idea whose time seems to have come. The concept that age is no barrier; changes to abortion law; elective death; reform of drug laws. To this we can add the proposition that for too long cancer survivors in Ireland have been discriminated against by the providers of financial services, with many struggling to obtain products such as mortgage protection and travel cover. For many years, the Irish Cancer Society has been campaigning for what it describes as 'the right to be forgotten', which means that there will be no obligation to disclose a previous diagnosis more than five years after active treatment has been concluded. Anyone who has filled in an insurance application form will be aware that there are requirements to declare any previous medical conditions, the inclusion of which can add, often considerably, to the premium charged or refusal to provide a policy. Failure to provide such details can result in policies being declared null and void. But change is afoot and legislation is now expected to be passed by the Oireachtas this autumn. It was first introduced in the Seanad by then Fianna Fáil senator Catherine Ardagh in October 2022, and was reintroduced by her as a TD in the Dáil in February. Now it has been taken up by the Government, whose junior finance minister Robert Troy — who has lost two siblings to the disease — describes the situation as 'challenging and unfair'. The Central Bank (Amendment) Bill will give statutory weight to what was previously a voluntary code of practice, which was not universally adopted, and will bring Ireland into line with laws which are already in place in France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Under existing guidelines, a survivor can access mortgage protection after seven years of remission or five years if individuals were diagnosed when under the age of 18. While the proposed new law does not cover travel insurance this will be a logical next step for campaigners. The Government, says Mr Troy, has focussed first on 'where the need is greatest and where there is the clearest evidence base'. Removing the uncertainty around house purchase is certainly a priority, but there is an equivalent value emotionally of liberating people from being defined by the most difficult chapter of their lives. Loss adjustors and risk assessors will, no doubt, point to the costs. It is their job to do so. But the rest of us may consider that, in a country where hundreds of thousands of people have been visited by cancer, it is a price worth bearing. Read More Irish Examiner view: Rural communities are losing their light


Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, July 26th: On a national day of protest, GAA referees, and pearl clutchers
Sir, – I wish to personally support the call for a national day of protest (Letters, July 24th) over the humanitarian catastrophe which has unfolded in Gaza. The vast majority of Irish people are totally frustrated and appalled that; despite the courageous stance taken by the Irish Government, the situation for the starving and subjugated civilian population is getting worse by the day. A man-made famine is now a reality on top of the mass killing of civilians in the prosecution of this disproportionate war by Israel. Some march and write letters to express our frustration. Many others do not, for fear of being falsely labelled anti-Semitic or supportive of Hamas. READ MORE A national day of protest, at a time designated by the Government, which was purely a condemnation of the atrocities in Gaza and for aid to be allowed in, would allow us, in all of our diversity as citizens to vent our anger and express national solidarity with the people of Gaza. If other countries did the same it would be powerful and perhaps might make a difference. As chair of the Irish Emergency Alliance, which brings together eight Irish agencies who respond to international humanitarian emergencies, it is uniquely frustrating to see thousands of trucks containing life-saving food, water and medicine languishing at the border unused, while suffering civilians and indeed humanitarian workers and doctors are deprived of assistance. Mary Robinson said that what Israel is doing is 'dehumanising' the people of Gaza by the manner of the prosecution of the war against Hamas. Words have lost all meaning in the face of such inhumanity. A national day of protest over Gaza would be a meaningful statement of solidarity by the Irish people. – Yours, etc. LIZ O'DONNELL, (Former TD) Blackrock, Co Dublin. Sir, – Given the horrific suffering of the Palestinian people, surely it is time for all of the leaders of the world to go to Gaza. If they witness what is happening surely they will act? – Yours, etc, (in fading hope), ALICE O'DONNELL, Delgany, Co Wicklow. Sir, – John O'Neill (Letters, July 24th) rightly points out the error in conflating Jewish identity with the actions of the Israeli state. I offer the following comparison: In 2022 almost 74 per cent of the Israeli population identified as Jewish. In Portugal, the 2021 census identified 80 per cent of the population as Catholic. If the government of Portugal embarked on some terrible military action against a part of Spain which action was condemned worldwide, would any sane, rational person say that any criticism of the Portuguese government was anti-Catholic? I think not. – Yours, etc, GERARD CLARKE, Dundrum Dublin Sir, – If you didn't see the interview on RTÉ Prime Time with Bob Geldof on Thursday regarding Gaza, you should find it on the RTÉ player. He spoke the truth, clearly and honestly, a man who has a track record in recognising human suffering. I emailed Prime Time after the programme. Ireland and Israel are both members of the European Broadcasting Union. Could RTÉ Prime Time please share the interview with Bob Geldof with all the members of the union? It might help. – Yours, etc, PAUL MULLIGAN, Vergemount Park, Dublin 6. Sir, – Bob Geldof made a passionate plea to stop Israel's massacre of Palestinians in Gaza and the state-sponsored terrorism in the West Bank (RTE 1, Prime Time, July 24th). Bob's humanitarian track record through many decades, which commands respect internationally, together with his communication skills, position him to be an outstanding president of Ireland. – Yours, etc, TOM CARROLL, Ennis Road, Limerick. Don't forget about Sudan Sir, – Dominic Crowley, the CEO of Concern, welcomes the UN secretary general's focus on Gaza ('What did we do to stop this?', Irish Times Letters, July 25th). However, bad as the situation in Gaza is, it is dwarfed by the suffering in the ongoing Sudanese war that broke out in 2023. According to the European Commission some 25 million Sudanese are affected by food shortages with some four million children suffering from acute hunger. Famine has now been confirmed in 10 areas. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that 6.7 million women and girls in Sudan are facing alarming levels of sexual violence. UN health chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has complained that there is less global interest in the conflict in Sudan compared to crises elsewhere in the world. Why are some wars deemed more worthy of our attention than others? – Yours, etc, KARL MARTIN, Bayside, Dublin 13. Bad language Sir, – With reference to Brianna Parkins' article ' People who get up early in the morning for no reason are a menace to society ,' (July 19th), I consider it not so much about vulgarity, but rather normal conversational Jackeen English, spoken by the ordinary denizens of Ireland's capital city. Somehow, 'Upon reflection the exertion proved to be unwarranted,' does not seem quite up to par with 'But I shouldn't have bothered my hole'. – Yours, etc, SEÁN O'BRIEN, Donaghmede, Dublin. Sir, – I usually enjoy Brianna Parkins's articles in Saturday's Magazine but the coarse language used on Saturday July 19th shocked, nay disappointed, me. – Yours, etc, PAT DALY, Kilkenny. Criticism of MetroLink Sir, – A lot of the criticism of the MetroLink project are well founded. That said, there has been very little discussion of problems arising from the practicalities of the whole thing. If, as proposed, the line starts and finishes in Swords the first thing this will do is displace current users of public transport commuting from Swords to the city centre from the bus network to the rail network as happened when Luas was introduced. One can only imagine the scenes at the Dublin Airport stop when a full train arrives from Swords during peak hours and airport passengers attempt to board with accompanying luggage. The same would happen with trains to the airport in the evenings with disgruntled passengers unable to board at stops other than the terminus. This whole thing needs to be reconsidered. – Yours, et, BRENDAN McMAHON, Naaas, Co Kildare. Light rail for Galway Sir, – Anthony Moran (Letters, July 24th) calls light rail in Galway a 'deluded fantasy,' but facts suggest otherwise. The 2024 Gluas feasibility study identified a viable east-west corridor with demand already exceeding 60 per cent of the passenger volumes seen on the initial Luas Red Line. Construction timelines for light rail in cities of similar size – such as Bergen, Norway (population: 280,000) – have been achieved within four years with minimal disruption. Far from being a 'fantasy,' light rail represents a practical, scalable solution to Galway's worsening congestion and climate obligations. Dismissing it out of hand serves no one – least of all the people of Galway. – Yours, etc. RICHARD LOGUE, Moville, Co Donegal. Bye, bye, summer? Sir, – When summer comes can autumn be far behind? The leaves on one of the trees in the green area opposite my house are beginning to turn. – Yours, etc, JANE MEREDITH, Dublin 18. Blair apology to Guildford Four Sir, – I refer to the article ' Tony Blair's letter saying sorry to Guildford Four was not intended as an apology ' (July 22nd). The article ignores the letter of public apology made by Mr Blair to myself and the other members of The Guildford Four as well as the Maguire Seven on February 9th, 2005. This letter stated that: 'There was a miscarriage of justice in the case of Gerard Conlon and all of the Guildford Four…' The then prime minister goes on to acknowledge 'the trauma that the conviction caused the Conlon and Maguire families and the stigma which wrongly attaches to them to this day' and unreservedly apologises when he says 'I am very sorry that they were subject to such an ordeal and injustice. That is why I'm making this apology: they deserve to be publicly and completely exonerated.' While it came 16 years after our release, Mr Blair's apology meant a great deal to me and my family and many others. I hope this is what will be remembered and not some internal correspondence which suggests a government nervous about making such a public apology. – Yours ,etc. PADDY ARMSTRONG, (Guildford Four) Clontarf, Dublin 3. Women's GAA and referees Sir, – Having watched many of the games in the women's championship this year it's impossible not to pull your hair out at the constant referees' decisions on what is a foul. If a player breathes on an opposition player the referee blows the whistle. While we all acknowledge the contribution referees make to our Gaelic games it seems they are instructed not to allow any tackling at all in the women's game. If the same was applied to the men's game, the games would be a farce. I watched the women's semi-finals and it was infuriating to see the constant stoppages for what were perceived to be fouls. I hope the final between Meath and Dublin will not be marred by these constant stoppages for innocuous 'fouls'; where even the advantage rule is not applied. It's ruining the women's game and you can see the frustration among the players. It's a great competition. Let's not ruin it by making it a non-contact sport altogether. – Yours, etc, KEVIN BYRNE, Bantry, West Cork. Sir, – Apropos Frank McNally's catechism of GAA clichés (An Irishman's Diary, July 24th), I propose the following addition: How do commentators and analysts react when the referee doesn't see or ignores a number of fouls? The ref is having a good game, he's letting it flow. –Yours , etc, JOHN SHORTEN, Balbriggan, Co Dublin. Sir, – Frank McNally has found every GAA commentator's script. Who was a pundit in a past life? Either way, everyone should take notes. – Yours, etc, JAMES CLEAR, Dún Laoghaire Co Dublin. Winding down the clock Sir, – It is interesting that when TV stations broadcast matches like the All-Ireland football final live the match clock counts up showing the amount of time that has passed. Surely the clock should count down, showing the time remaining as this is what really matters? – Yours, etc, PAT KENNEDY, Navan, Co Meath. The housing crisis Sir, – The article by John McManus (' We need to face reality that housing cannot be solved, ' July 23rd) sets out the issue central to the so-called housing crisis faced by the Government. The population of this country is racing ahead of any possibility of either the private or public sectors building enough units to house all over the coming decade. He goes on to suggest that official estimates of the population are 'wildly underestimated' at 5.45 million in 2023. With the brokers Davy expecting the population to hit some 5.9 million by 2030, the task of meeting the demand for accommodation ( estimated by Davy at 120,000 units per annum) is entirely beyond us. It's time the Government came clean with the reality of the challenge being faced and accepted that housing production cannot keep pace with population growth. The only alternative is to control migration, thus cooling the housing market. In that regard it may well be that the Trump tariffs will actually do us a favour through us being forced to press the pause button on foreign direct investment (FDI) and the obsession with jobs growth. – Yours, etc, MICHAEL GILMARTIN, Blackrock, Co Dublin. Pearl clutchers Sir, – To say, as Stephen Wall does (Letters, July 24th), that the new 22-storey College Square tower on Tara Street has a 'catastrophic impact on the historic urban landscape' seems pearl-clutching in the extreme. The tower is more of a harbinger of a future Dublin when its current detractors (and supporters) will have left the stage. The edifice is tall, imposing, majestic even. Please can we have more of this type of thing? – Yours, etc, BRIAN AHERN, Clonsilla, Dublin.