Pensioner numbers to treble: Brennan
A trebling of the number of pensioners in coming decades will have a major impact on pensions and healthcare services, a Minister said today.
There are currently 460,000 people aged 65 years and older in the Republic but this is projected to jump to 1.5 million by 2050.
Minister for Social and Family Affairs Seamus Brennan said the cost of state pensions would spiral from the current rate of 4.3% of GNP to almost 14%.
There would also be a bigger tax burden as the current ratio of four workers for every person over 65 would change to close to a one-to-one situation in 50 years.
Mr Brennan said: “The challenge is to make ageing an opportunity instead of looking on it as a problem.
“To achieve that we need to continue building the structures and supports that will deliver the dignity, security and opportunity everyone growing old is entitled to and, more important, has earned.”
The Government brought the non-contributory Old Age Pension up to 200 euro in the last Budget.
Mr Brennan today launched a report A Social Portrait of Older People in Ireland containing statistics and an information booklet, How to Access Senior Citizen Benefits.
Some 400,000 people, mainly older people, already have free telephone, TV licence, generous electricity and gas allowances and an increased fuel allowance while more than 420,000 are entitled to free travel which, from April 2, will be extended to allow them to travel free anywhere on the island, north and south.
The Government will publish a Green Paper on pensions in coming weeks.
The minister stressed that ageing was about how the state cherished the contribution of those who were now growing old.
“In this fast-paced age we must never forget that our older people still have a wealth of expertise and experience to pass on.
“Most important of all we must recognise and reward older people in the way they themselves want to be recognised and rewarded. It is all about making sure that our older people have dignity, security, recognition and opportunity in later years.
“It is about a whole change of mindset. About moving beyond old debates about how to manage dependence and working towards a new world of enabling independence.
“One example is giving older people the flexibility and choice to work on past their retirement date, if that is what they want. Another is to provide the supports that allow older people to embrace the whole area of information technology through computer training and internet access.”
