Departmental Reports
Dail Éireann — 2025-12-18
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Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow

I was certainly not being flippant about the programme for Government commitments. I do not want anyone holding off on staying healthy until future budgets. These are issues that we will, of course, consider in the round, as we always do in advance of the budget.
I was in Millstreet in west Cork recently to visit a community gym that is part-funded through Government grants. It was great to see. I was on the same rowing machine that now-President Connolly had been on when she was campaigning. It is the most famous rowing machine in Ireland because the President was on it, and they are very proud of that fact. It is a great community gym. It is an example of communities working together to create healthy communities and help themselves age in a good way.
Deputies Clendennen and Byrne referred to auto-enrolment. I was talking to the Swedish minister in Brussels the other day.
I think this is something they did in Sweden many decades ago. It is a transformational decision. I accept that it is going to be a little difficult for people. We are asking people and employers to put a little aside at a challenging time, knowing it will create provision for them as they age above and beyond the State pension. The communications campaign is important, making sure everybody knows how it works and the obligations on everybody. I have heard good media engagement on that recently. It is important we keep that up. I am conscious of the pressures on small and medium businesses as I know the Deputy is. There will be different views in this House on this. We have taken a number of measures to try to assist with that, including the 9% VAT rate, the new timeline for the living wage and the decision not to expand the statutory sick scheme further beyond five days. I accept there are different views on those decisions in the House, but they were taken in recognition of the reality that when we have a bright idea in here, we do not always have to pay for it; it is the business that does. Auto-enrolment really needs to happen. As it rolls out, we will continue to engage and listen. We will look back long after we are all gone and say this was a really important moment to protect low-income workers in particular as they age. Future Forty suggests there will be many more low-income workers ageing and living longer, healthier lives in the future.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:29+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-18