THE GOVERNMENT HAS no plans to means test the State contributory pension in the upcoming budget, Minister for Social Protection Eamon Ó Cuív has confirmed.
Mr Ó Cuív met various groups in his department yesterday and afterwards his spokeswoman said he clarified he was not considering proposing means testing the pension in December.
“Current Government policy in relation to pensions is laid out in the National Pension Framework and means testing of the national contributory pension is not a feature of the framework,” the spokeswoman added.
After the meeting, Age Action, one of the groups which met the Minister, said it “warmly welcomed” the explanation it had received from Mr Ó Cuív.
“During a meeting with a range of representative groups, the Minister said he wanted to make it absolutely clear that he never said there would be means testing for the contributory State pension, and he confirmed that such a move was never considered by him,” spokesman Eamon Timmins said. “This is a huge relief for many older people.”
Controversy was sparked recently when Mr Ó Cuív said in an interview nothing could be ruled out in relation to social welfare changes. He did not rule out an across-the-board reduction in the State pension, while maintaining that pensioners should be protected in December’s budget.
“The protection of low-paid pensioners and workers in my view would be far ahead of those who are receiving very large salaries in full-time employment and also are entitled to the State pension,” he said.
At a subsequent Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting, about 20 members told Mr Ó Cuív no reduction in the State pension would be supported.
Cork North Central deputy Noel O’Flynn invoked Mr Ó Cuív’s grandfather Eamon de Valera at the meeting, saying Mr de Valera would never have considered cutting the State pension.
