The Social Welfare and Pensions Bill, which gives effect to changes announced in the supplementary Budget is to go before the Seanad today.
The bill was passed at all stages in the Dáil last night by 79 votes to 68.
Government ministers on national and European engagements were summoned to Leinster House for the crucial vote.Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe wasforced to forego a meeting of EU counterparts in Belgium to attend the vote while Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern had to pull out of an address to the Garda Representative Association conference in Killarney.
The Social Welfare Bill includes the emergency budget’s controversial plan to axe the Christmas bonus. and has a provision to halve dole payments to people under 20 years to encourage them to enrol in training schemes.
Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin told the Dáil last night that the Government was not involved in “a bailout” of pension schemes and measures introduced would be cost-neutral, Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin told the Dáil last night.
Ms Hanafin announced the setting up of the Pensions Insolvency Payment Scheme (Pips). This would allow trustees apply to the Minister for Finance to purchase pension payments for its retired members, at a lower cost than in the open market, in circumstances where a defined benefit scheme was in deficit and the sponsoring employer insolvent.
Introducing amendments to the Social Welfare Bill, the Minister said they would build on the short-term measures already introduced to assist pension schemes and support the trustees in meeting current challenges.