‘People need to work longer in to old age for state pension’

PEOPLE need to work longer into old age before qualifying for their state pension in light of increasing life expectancies, according to An Bord Snip Nua.

In a series of recommendations targeted at public and private sector benefits for the elderly, the report also suggests retired civil servants, who escaped recent cuts and levies should also be made to pay their share as they were the only sector of society not to be hit in the recent budgets.

Chairman of Bord Snip Nua, Colm McCarthy, said there was international acceptance that longer life expectancies meant it was too expensive to keep the retirement age at 66.