IMPACT has welcomed the establishment of the interdepartmental group, led by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, to examine the issues arising from prevailing retirement ages for workers in both the public and private sectors.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin TD, has asked the group to report back to him within six months with its assessment and recommendations for a policy framework aimed at supporting longer working lives.

The establishment of the group is in the context of the increase in the state pension age from 65 to 66 in 2014. Retirement age is set to become an increasingly significant issue as the age of eligibility for the state pension will increase to 67 in 2021 and to 68 in 2028.

IMPACT general secretary Shay Cody said that policy makers need to develop coherent policy around the conflict between contractual retirement ages and the increases in the age when the state pension applies.

The group will be chaired by a senior official from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The Ministers for Social Protection; Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation; Justice and Equality; Health; and Education and Skills will be invited to nominate senior level representatives from their Departments to participate.