Social Welfare and Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-10
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Sarah O'Reilly (AON), Agricultural Panel

Senator Rabbitte said "no one got left behind". I disagree. People with disabilities and pensioners, even with their increase, got left behind. The increase was wiped out by the new cost of blister packs. The people out working and paying taxes to fund the social welfare Bill got no relief in the budget. They were left behind.
I want to talk about the pension auto-enrolment scheme. The intention behind the Bill is positive. Nobody disagrees with the principle of helping people to save for retirement. However, I have concerns about how quickly the Bill has been pushed through and about the impact on workers and businesses. Thousands of people are living on the breadline. They simply cannot afford to see a single cent taken out of their pay, yet the Government expects them to remain enrolled on the scheme for six months before they can opt out. That period might seem short from a policy perspective. For someone on the breadline, however, six months of reduced pay is significant.
I was contacted by someone who is really worried about having to hand over another penny out of their pay packet. Workers are being locked into a system that lacks flexibility. They cannot opt out permanently. Even if they leave, they will be automatically re-enrolled every two years. Contribution rates will rise from 1.5% to 6% over a few years, yet the State has not provided long-term guarantees in respect of its own top-up, the maximum contribution cap or even the rules that will apply when people eventually reach retirement age. Workers and employers are being asked to commit to a scheme the core conditions of which may shift beneath their feet. We must also be mindful of small businesses. They are being placed under pressure in the absence of the practical guidance they need. Many SMEs are struggling to get by and between sick days, extra bank holidays, minimum wage increases and operating costs, particularly energy, this is just another expense they have to worry about.
I recognise the intention behind the Bill but I am concerned about the impact for people already struggling to get by. They should not be locked into it for six months. I question the rationale for that.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-10/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:26+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-10