Brian Keegan: Pension age debate likely to rumble on for some time

"Despite the furore over the retirement age, which led to the establishment of the Pensions Commission in the first place, raising the age may be the least politically difficult of all of the possible solutions to managing the burgeoning cost of pension provision," writes Brian Keegan

Brian Keegan: The pension age, private contributions, higher PRSI rates or more PRSI contributions from older people - all of these solutions are particularly emotive.

Many of us might think that the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) is the biggest category of spend for government when it comes to paying benefits to citizens.

Not so. According to figures published last month, by the Department of Social Protection, in 2020, the single biggest item of welfare spend was on the contributory state pension.